| Residents still recovering from deadly tsunami that hit in September.....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35376513/ns/weatherPAGO PAGO, American Samoa - A strong storm with hurricane-force winds began hitting American Samoa on Friday. Tropical Cyclone Rene hit the sparsely populated island of Manu'a with sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm was expected to arrive at the capital city of Pago Pago in the evening. As of 3 p.m. Friday, the storm was moving southwest at a rate of about 11 mph.Rene may also threaten Samoa, Tokelau Islands, Tonga and Fiji. Forecasters at the Nadi Tropical Cyclone Center in Fiji issued a gale watch warning for Samoa's main island of Upolu, home to 135,000, where a tsunami killed 183 people in September. A hurricane warning was in effect for all islands of American Samoa starting early Friday morning. Schools were closed in the U.S. territory and islanders stocked up on bottled water, flashlights and candles. Authorities in Tonga, Nuie and the Cook Islands warned residents to prepare for the storm. New Zealand Red Cross was assisting preparations on those islands, "issuing warnings ... securing infrastructure and making sure all satellite phones are charged and working," international operations manager Andrew McKie said early Friday. American Samoa territorial Gov. Togiola Tulafono directed all government offices to close Friday, except for emergency operations, health centers and the Department of Public Safety. Leafa Ah Soon, store owner at Faleasao Village in Manu'a, said homes had been boarded up and residents have descended on her store to purchase supplies. All public and private schools, including the American Samoa Community College, shut down Friday, but teachers and officials were asked to report to secure classrooms and other facilities. The U.S. Coast Guard advised vessels bound for Pago Pago to reroute. Cyclone Heta, the last major cyclone to smash through the region, hit Samoa and American Samoa in January 2004, damaging more than 4,600 homes in American Samoa, the American Red Cross said at the time. It also devastated up to 90 percent of the crops on Samoa. |