My friends in Samoa just emailed me again. She mentioned the the CNN reporter, Hugh Williams was staying with them and that her husband & son were taking Hugh Williams around Samoa to witness and report on the devastation. I found this phone conversation transcript on CNN. The Percival family being like my second family, I will do whatever I can to cover any work that they do regarding the situation there currently.
Steven Percival recounts:
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
Here are the big stories that we're going to be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First, a powerful earthquake triggering a deadly tsunami in the South Pacific. More than 80 people have been killed. The director of health services in American Samoa said he thought that it was, quote, "the end of the world." We're going to be getting a live report from Samoa in just minutes.
ROBERTS: President Obama meeting today with his national security team to figure out a strategy for the war in Afghanistan. The cost of the conflict in both lives and dollars is mounting, while support among Americans is waning. Our Barbara Starr is live from the Pentagon this morning on the difficult options facing the president.
CHETRY: And, who would think that what you do online could have the police watching you if you're doing something innocent. Well, it does happen. Our special series "Watching You 24/7" will show you the secret centers all over America where privacy and security can sometimes collide.
First, though, dramatic developments in the South Pacific right now. An absolutely disastrous scene in what was a true paradise. A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck the Samoan Islands triggering a massive tsunami and waves that flattened villages, swept cars and people right out to sea.
Joining us on the phone for the latest is journalist and filmmaker Steve Percival, with a look how things are there.
Steve, what -- what are you seeing around you today in the wake of this tsunami?
STEVE PERCIVAL, JOURNALIST, FILMMAKER (via telephone): Well, we're beginning to see a grieving process come into play where the people who have lost members of family and relatives are coming together to grieve their loss and to say farewell to their loved ones. I just myself returned from a funeral of a first cousin.
So, it's going to be quite devastating to many, many, many people throughout the country because it's a very close knit community and the loss of life will be felt throughout the country.
CHETRY: And such a tragedy, it came so quickly and most people were just powerless to do anything. Can you explain why -- you know, where it hit and why some parts of the island are OK and others are just completely devastated?
PERCIVAL: Well, the epicenter of the earthquake was some 200 kilometers south of the two islands that make up Western -- what was formerly called Western Samoa, and some 35 kilometers deep in the Java (ph) Trench. So, when the epicenter -- when the earthquake took place, the fingers of waves' energy that was released from that traveled northwards and hit the south coast of this country and American Samoa and neighboring country that make up Samoan archipelago.
And fingers of energy -- wave energy traveled south, southwest, and actually went as far as New Zealand and hit some of the countries in that area. And I believe that the same earthquake triggered reaction in other parts of the fault line causing another earthquake to occur in other parts of the region.
CHETRY: Yes. We are hearing reports...
PERCIVAL: So, the north coast of -- the north coast of this island, for example, will not have much of an impact, although witnesses observed that the ocean did in fact (INAUDIBLE) as it did in the south coast, but not as much. And there was not the wave formation the way it formed in the south.
CHETRY: And as we understand it, they are saying that it could actually get worse in terms of the number of dead as rescue workers are still in the process of trying to access parts of the island that were, you know, just completely cut off because of the damaged infrastructure. So, this could get worse.
PERCIVAL: It is expected to get worse. A lot of the villages are very, very low lying. And villages are typically made up of some (INAUDIBLE) inhabitants of the village, on a general rule. And so, looking at the number of villages that could have been affected in the region, that district, looking at significant numbers of homeless this evening who are going to be trying to seek shelter further inland or with villages that have been spared by the waves -- because some neighboring villages look completely normal as if there's been no water intrusion and yet the neighboring village a few hundred meters away could be completely flattened.
So, the landscape changes as you travel around that area, and I'm sure that the number of casualties will be rising as more and more comes to light. And probably by the end of tomorrow, authorities will have a much clearer picture of the extent of damage and the extent of loss of life.
CHETRY: It's a devastating situation there. Steve Percival, giving us a first hand account of what is going on -- thank you for joining us this morning.
I will keep you all posted, and thank you for all of those that have visited my blog from all over the world today to see how things are going and the status of the Baha'i House of Worship in Apia. Again, keep them in your sweetest prayers.
peace.
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