A four-wheel drive truck was swept away in the early hours of Saturday at the Sapapalii Ford in Savaii as the heavy rain caused the river to swell and flood.

The truck had attempted to cross the ford, but the flow of the water proved too strong for the vehicle. Police and the Land Transport Authority were quick on the scene, and the vehicle was taken out after midday when the flow of water became slower.

The rain will continue over the weekend, according to the Samoa Meteorological Services. There is a heavy rain warning, a flood warning, a strong wind warning and a marine advisory.

Authorities warn that this would mean that fords like Sapapalii could become closed off due to flood waters rising. People are being told to stay vigilant and away from flooded rivers and creeks.

Meanwhile, in late 2021, the Minister of Works, Transport, and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai, confirmed with Samoa Observer that building a bridge at the Sapapali'i ford was on top of the Government's priority list of infrastructural projects for the big island of Savai'i. The Sapapali'i ford remains one of the most dangerous roads to cross for motorists on the big island during bad weather conditions. 

The design supervision and the construction of these bridges would be funded by the World Bank under the Samoa Climate Resilient Transport project. Olo also confirmed that he has instructed LTA to prioritise the construction of a bridge at Sapapalii. They had Lano and Sapapalii bridge, but Olo emphasised the importance of building a bridge at Sapapalii first.

During that interview,w Olo confirmed that for Lano, people from the other side can access the Vaia'ata road that costs more than $10 million. So if the ford at Lano bursts its banks, then people have that option to get to Salelologa and vice versa. But for Sapapali'i, there is no option for motorists. They will be stuck and can't get through Salelologa. Therefore, they will start with Sapapali'i and then move on to Lano later on.

However, it's almost four years and there hasn't been any work on a bridge at the Sapapalii Ford.