A look at the area in Atu’u located downhill from the home of the former Marist Brothers Elementary School that is completely covered with dirt following a landslide that destroyed trees, plants, and caused concern from passing motorists about the safety of the area during times of heavy rainfall.

Samoa News understands that the access road that leads up to the former all boys Catholic school campus is blocked off by debris and the area belongs to the Diocese of Samoa Pago Pago.

Dept. of Public Works director Faleosina Faiai Voigt said yesterday that there is still a question about whose jurisdiction the area in question falls under — the government or the church.

She said Public Works can assist and offer help when and if safety issues are concerned. However, she added, the area where the landslide occurred is not directly near the main highway, as it is more inland — on a flat surface at the bottom of the mountain.

The flat area in question is where the StarKist Samoa employees used to practice their siva and pese during rehearsals for the 2014 Flag Day celebrations.

Also, there were talks in previous years about the area being a potential site to relocate the operations of the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) as well as it being used as a store front for one of the bigger hardware stores on island.

[photo: B. Chen]