A rapid-response field survey of the 2009 Samoa earthquake tsunami in American Samoa

A field survey of the 2009 Samoa earthquake tsunami was conducted on Tutuila Island, American Samoa, within a week of the event. At the western end of the island, the largest runup height was measured to be 16.3 m and almost all buildings were completely destroyed and/or washed away. In the east, runup or inundation heights were smaller (2-6 m), but buildings were severely damaged. At Pago Pago, main town of the island, inundation heights were around 4.5 m, and inundation limit is about 600 m from the coastline. The tsunami arrived 5-10 minutes after the mainshock. The death toll was low, because federal and territorial governments had together carried out an extensive public education program to explain tsunami hazard.