It’s a day that most would prefer to erase from their memories.
While for others it’s a day to celebrate life after a near experience with death.
September 29, 2009…a Tuesday morning that started off like any other.
But close to 7am, a deadly earthquake shook generating a tsunami that claimed 34 lives.
Margie Tafiti lost her niece Sabrina that day and she herself had given up her life to the tsunami waves.
Margie gave a riveting account of how she survived at the Tsunami Memorial Service hosted by Rotary and Hawaiian Air Saturday.
She was in her fast food stall at the Tool Shop in the old Soli and Mark’s restaurant in Pago Pago with her employees.
She felt the tremor and saw Pago Pago Harbor drain out.
While first thinking nothing of it , when it struck her that a tsunami was in progress, she yelled to the workers to run, grabbed her niece’s hand and tried to escape.
But it was too late.
Margie said she held on to her niece’s hand under water but her apron had twirled around her neck and was suffocating her.
So she reluctantly let go of her niece’s hand and untied her apron from her neck.
Then she was carried out to the middle of the harbor.
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Families of the 34 victims are visiting their graves and holding quiet remembrances,.
There are no government or village services planned to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the tsunami.
