The villages of Faga’alu, Fagaitua, and Alofau have received a one-time funding allocation of $10,000 to improve evacuation infrastructure and designated safe zones.
This is part of the Adopt-a-Village initiative, supported under the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP).
The NTHMP, a cornerstone of the National Weather Service’s Tsunami Program, is a coordinated national effort aimed at reducing the impact of tsunamis through public education, hazard assessment, warning coordination, and community response planning.
As the official recipient of NTHMP funding, the American Samoa Department of Homeland Security (ASDHS) leads local implementation efforts to ensure that tsunami preparedness is deeply rooted in community engagement and scientific guidance. As part of this commitment, the unified collaboration launched the Adopt-A-Village to empower coastal villages to take ownership of their tsunami readiness.
The villages of Faga’alu, Fagaitua, and Alofau were selected based on their geographic location, infrastructure, and population. The project aims to strengthen local capacity by enhancing evacuation routes, raising public awareness, and developing and exercising evacuation plans in partnership with village councils and ‘aumaga. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between ASDHS and representatives of the participating villages, formalizing their shared commitment to disaster resilience.
To date, ASDHS has extended the Adopt-A-Village initiative to eleven villages across the
territory.
UPDATE: The American Samoa Department of Homeland Security says Fagatogo also received funding, however, it was inadvertently left out of the ASG press release.
