One of the many government offices that got hit hard during the heavy rainfalls this past Tuesday was the Territorial Registrar’s Office in Fagatogo.

Territorial Registrar Sam White told Samoa News yesterday that as soon as he saw the water start to seep in through the doors, he instructed his staff to clear out the cabinets in order to save the records from damage.

“I don’t want to go through what we went through during the 2009 tsunami,” White said, adding that the tsunami hit their office early morning and there was nothing they could do about it. He said the records that were damaged during the tsunami had to be sent off island for cleaning and it took two years to get everything back.

White said their office was hit with almost two feet of water on Tuesday and thanks to his staff’s quick reaction, not a single record was damaged.

The Territorial Registrar’s Office houses crucial documents including registrations and deeds for lands, matai title registrations, and articles of incorporation for businesses.

White said as of yesterday afternoon, none of the records have been filed away because the weather is unpredictable and they don’t know if their office will be underwater during the weekend.