CATEGORY 5 CYCLONE DAMAGES NOAA BASELINE OBSERVATORY IN AMERICAN SAMOA

Jan. 8, 2004 — Tropical Cyclone Heta, a Category 5 cyclone—the most severe—with peak winds of 185 mph and ocean swells of 45 feet, hit the Samoan Islands on Sunday, January 4. The NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory Baseline Observatory facilities on Tutuila Island, American Samoa, sustained major damage as did the two staff houses in Tafuna village. None of the three observatory staff or their families was injured. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of Tropical Cyclone Heta taken on Jan. 7, 2004 at 7:08 p.m. EST. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The peak gust recorded at the NOAA National Weather Service Office Pago Pago forecast office was 115 mph (100 knots). The four-day rainfall total at the Weather Service Pago Pago forecast office was 6.75 inches.

Heta, described by locals as the worst cyclone in living memory, downed power lines and trees, and caused extensive damage to housing, utilities and commercial structures across the island territory. The acting governor of American Samoa declared a "state of emergency" for the territory. There are no power, Internet, or water and sewer services
operating. A curfew is in effect to reduce looting, and all residents are under orders to boil drinking water.

The Pago Pago airport, the only one in American Samoa, is closed due to downed trees and building debris on the runway.

The full extent of the damage to the NOAA observatory facilities has yet to be determined. It is known that the lower four stories of the 12-story tall stairs that provide access to sampling facilities on the point of Cape Matatula were destroyed and that the equipment in the pump house was swept away when the door to the building caved in because of the pounding waves. The pump building is 122 feet above sea level. (Click NOAA image for larger view of the NOAA Climate Monitoring and Diagnostics Laboratory Baseline Observatory facilities on Tutuila Island, American Samoa, before being damaged by Tropical Cyclone Heta. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The two-ton, 90 kVA diesel electric power generator for the observatory (280 feet above sea level) literally blew apart during the storm. There is a strong likelihood that the observatory will not have electricity until a new generator is purchased on the mainland, shipped and installed since the observatory is at the end of a 26-mile public utility power line, half of which is lying on the ground. At the observatory the winds stripped off or damaged most of the tower mounted instrumentation and plucked clean the NOAA National Weather Service meteorological tower.

The new NOAA National Weather Service building, whose official opening was held on
November 3, 2003, fared very well. Only the telephone hotline between the Samoa Meteorological Service in Apia and the NOAA Pago Pago weather service office failed on Sunday as power and communications failed in the Independent State of Samoa. All systems functioned normally during the event. Of the 11 NWS automatic weather stations deployed in American Samoa and Samoa, two automatic stations in Samoa had already been inoperative due to lightening strikes in December. Three more automatic weather stations became partially or totally inoperative.

Both staff houses in Tafuna lost a large percentage of their shingles, and the buildings now are leaking. This is doubly sad because both houses had been completely renovated over the past two years with the final interior painting of the technician’s house completed in October 2003.

While the cyclone is well south of Samoa now, light rains in the wake of the storm are causing some additional damage to the exposed buildings and utilities. Communication with the observatory staff through a cell phone has been spotty. The Internet is not working because of the lack of electricity so no damage photos are available yet.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
Joint Typhoon Warning Center Products, including latest satellite images

NOAA Satellite Images of Tropical Cyclone Heta

NOAA National Weather Service Pago Pago, American Samoa, Forecast Office

NOAA Samoa Observatory — Cape Matatula, American Samoa

Media Contact:
Jana Goldman, NOAA Research, (301) 713-2483