Video captures the second tsunami wave to crash ashore on American Samoa on September 29, 2009. | American Red Cross

🌊Following a massive, devastating #tsunami in 2009, Samoa took action to build resilience. 🇼🇸 The National Emergency Operations Centre, established in 2010, conducts regular emergency drills, familiarizing people with the evacuation sites. Awareness programmes educate children and youth about disaster risk, and church and school bells are used as sirens to warn Samoans of approaching hazards. 📢 Early warning and early action saves lives and livelihoods, not only in Samoa, but across the worl

In the early hours of September 29, 2009, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake struck near the Tonga Trench in the South Pacific Ocean, triggering a devastating tsunami. Within just 15 minutes, waves as high as 72 feet (22 meters) crashed into the shores of American Samoa, the Independent State of Samoa, and the Kingdom of Tonga. The tsunami claimed at least 192 lives and displaced hundreds more, causing widespread destruction and over $200 million in damages. This disaster was a sobering reminder of how