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Lolo submits major disaster declaration for Gita to FEMA

reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga has submitted a request for a US Presidential major disaster declaration, which would pave the way for federal aide to American Samoa in the wake of the Feb. 9 Tropical Storm Gita.

In its 6p.m bulletin on Feb. 26, the Emergency Operations Center says the governor’s request was signed and transmitted Feb. 25 to the region 9 office of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA) in California which has received it already and is being routed to Washington D.C.

American Samoa is currently under a presidential emergency declaration which allows for limited direct federal assistance to the local government.

The initial joint federal and local governments post Tropical Storm Gita’s damage assessments of individual homes and public infrastructure have been completed and was made part of the Governor’s request for a presidential major declaration for federal assistance.
Meanwhile, the local government asked the public to be patient as American Samoa awaits response from the federal government.

FEMA’s program to file claims for federal assistance is not available at this time.