American Samoa Revision and Update of the Territory Hazard Mitigation Plan April 28, 2008 2007 Project Team Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office Office of the Governor P.O. Box 997755 Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Phone: 011 (684) 699-6482 Fax: 011 (684) 699-6414 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.asg-gov.com/agencies/temco.asg.htm American Samoa Disaster Recovery Office American Samoa Government Nu'uuli #26-500 P.O. Box 50018 Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Phone: 011 (684) 699-1330 Fax: 011 (684) 699-5005 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.asg-gov.com Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC 351 Pleasant Street, #208 Northampton, MA 01060 USA Phone: 1(413) 586-0867 Fax: 1(413) 303-0412 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.jamiecaplan.com 2003 Project Team Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office Office of the Governor P.O. Box 997755 Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Phone: 011 (684) 699-6482 Fax: 011 (684) 699-6414 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.asg- gov.com/agencies/temco.asg.htm East West Center 1601 East-West Road Honolulu, HI 96848-1601 USA Phone: 1 (808) 944-7111 Fax: 1 (808) 944-7376 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.EastWestCenter.org Pacific Disaster Center 1305 N. Holopono St. #2 Kihei, HI, 96753-6900 USA Phone: 1 (808) 891-0525 Fax: 1 (808) 891-0526 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.pdc.org Social Science Research Institute University of Hawaii at Manoa 2424 Maile Way Saunders Hall, Suite 704 Honolulu, HI 96822 USA Phone: 1 (808) 956-8930 Fax: 1 (808) 956-2884 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.socialsciences.hawaii.edu/ssri/ The 2007 American Samoa Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed by a consulting team from Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC, and the Lieutenant Governor, the Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office, the staff of the American Samoa Disaster Recovery Office, the Territorial Hazard Mitigation Council and Directors and technical staff of the American Samoa Government. This updated and revised plan meets the current FEMA guidelines posted in the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance November, 2006.1 For information regarding this plan please contact Jamie Caplan Consulting LLC at 1 (413) 586-0867. The 2003 American Samoa Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed under contract for the American Samoa Territorial Emergency Management Coordinating Office (TEMCO) by the Pacific Disaster Center and the East-West Center. For background information on the methodology and data used to develop this report, please contact The Pacific Disaster Center at 1 (808) 891-7913. NOTICE: The following report is a collaborative research effort. It is not a promise or guarantee, nor is it predictive of any outcome or effect. All liability is therefore disclaimed for this report and any of its contents. The Pacific Disaster Center is a public/private partnership sponsored by the PDC Program Office (ASD/NII). The content of the report does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Government and no official Government endorsement should be inferred. Since 2002, the East-West Center has been the managing partner of the Pacific Disaster Center. This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the East-West Center. For permission to redistribute this report, please contact TEMCO, phone 011 (684) 699-6482. 1 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Planning Blue Book, FEMA, November 2006. Executive Summary Executive Summary The significance of the American Samoa Hazard Mitigation Plan is that it provides American Samoa with a comprehensive and consensus mitigation strategy for prioritizing projects, programs, and activities that will save lives and reduce losses from the impacts of natural disasters. This plan defines responsibilities and analyzes local capacities and capabilities to manage mitigation projects. It also fulfills the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s requirement for a mitigation planning process that first, ensures federal assistance to the people of American Samoa following future significant disasters and second, allows the American Samoa Government to compete for several million dollars of mitigation project assistance annually. This Mitigation Plan defines risks and vulnerability in a systematic manner, and analyzes the vulnerability of critical structures with respect to mapped known natural hazard areas. It also provides a framework for informed decision-making regarding prioritization of mitigation projects that will insure both the protection of life and property and cost-effective use of taxpayers’ funds. American Samoa is required to revise and update its current Territorial Hazard Mitigation Plan every three years to be eligible for non-emergency public assistance from FEMA, Pre-Disaster Mitigation project grants, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding and Flood Management Assistance Grants. “At a minimum, review and, if necessary, update the Standard State Mitigation Plan by November 1, 2003 and every three years from the date of the approval of the previous plan in order to continue program eligibility.”2 The first plan was approved in 2003. Eligible mitigation projects include emergency debris removal and emergency protective measures and for repair and restoration of roads and bridges, water control facilities, buildings and equipment, utilities, and parks and recreation. This updated plan has identified new mitigation projects to minimize the disruption and damages due to the prevalent identified natural hazards affecting American Samoa. In addition, the initial mitigation projects were reviewed; some have been completed, and some are no longer priority. The top twenty- five projects are listed in priority order in Table 1. The American Samoa Territorial Hazard Mitigation Council has been active since the mitigation planning process in 2003. This Council has worked to assure that the updated plan has met the requirements of FEMA and the American Samoa Government. The plan makes sustainable development a priority, helping to ensure safer future development. The planning process encouraged inter-departmental and inter-agency coordination on the islands regarding mitigation planning and emergency management. The Plan was updated with cost-effective mitigation recommendations that maintain or enhance the current natural and built environment, maintain or enhance the current quality of life on the American Samoa Islands, foster local resiliency to disasters, and identify and respond to local concerns and issues. The updated Territorial Hazard Mitigation Plan recognizes the unique qualities and characteristics of American Samoa’s environment, economy, and culture. It focuses on the prevalent, identified natural hazards from the 2003 plan, including tropical cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, droughts, floods and tsunamis. Climate change, hazardous materials and wildfire have been added to the list of studied 2 Federal Register I Vol. 67, No. 38 I Tuesday, February 26, 2002 / Rules and Regulations §201.4 (3). April 2008 Page v Executive Summary hazards. Hazard and risk information was updated. Meetings were held with the Territorial Hazard Mitigation Council, the Lieutenant Governor and the directors and technical staff of each relevant department and organization to gather their input regarding the updated plan goal, objectives and mitigation strategies. The plan meets the requirements of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 and guidelines provided by FEMA’s Multi-hazard Mitigation Planning Blue Book, November 2006. The Plan prioritizes the top 25 most important and cost-beneficial mitigation projects for future funding (Table ES-1). The Plan also reviews past mitigation projects and accomplishments as well as documents American Samoa’s stewardship of financial and project management of mitigation projects completed over the past fifteen years. 2007 Hazard Mitigation Goals and Objectives The Goal of the 2007 Updated and Revised American Samoa Hazard Mitigation Plan, endorsed by the Territorial Hazard Mitigation Council, is to: Reduce the risks of all identified hazards to the Territory, thus alleviating loss of life and property from drought, earthquake, flood, global warming and climate change, landslide, tropical cyclone (including storm surge and high winds), tsunami and wildfire and insure the overall well being of the people of American Samoa. The Objectives of the Plan are to: 1. Promote effective land use planning and regulation and public awareness in order to reduce damage from hurricanes, floods, storm waves and storm surge, landslides, tsunamis, and droughts. 2. Improve infrastructure development standards with special attention to mitigating the increasing flood hazard. 3. Develop and implement hazard mitigation projects aimed at reducing the risk of damage and destruction of existing assets and infrastructure from the full range of natural disasters threatening the territory. Table 1 provides a summary of prioritized mitigation projects listing submitting organization, and objectives. April 2008 Page vi Executive Summary Table 1 Mitigation Projects in Priority Order, listing Submitting Organizations. Each project is detailed in Appendix C. Project Priority #, AGENCY Objectives and Project Title 1. Tualauta County To mitigate the spread of stream runoff as well as the natural runoff of the land within the watershed of Flood Mitigation, Tualauta County, by means of improving and defining a natural waterway that runs from the village of Department of Public