#American Samoa

FEMA approves $1.3 million to help communities recover from recent disasters

The funded projects include repairs to critical infrastructure, restoration of public buildings, road repairs and reimbursement for costs incurred to ensure public health and safety after a disaster.

$4.6M to restore coral reef in American Samoa

A new $4.6-million multi-institute collaborative project to help grow coral restoration capacity in American Samoa will begin in early 2026, leveraging more than two decades of coral heat tolerance studies to inform a restoration with resilience approach.

Giant clams thrive in American Sāmoa under indigenous management

Giant clam populations in American Sāmoa are far more stable and abundant than previously thought thanks to the help of local villages, according to a new study led by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology ToBo Lab. The research found that marine areas managed by local villages consistently supported higher clam densities […]

Visitors give big with $400K in donations to support Hawaiʻi and American Samoa parks

Every dollar given at the register stays in the park where it was donated, helping to care for these places—supporting wildlife like nēnē (Hawaiian geese) at Haleakalā and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes national parks, preserving cultural sites like the great heiau (temple) at Puʻukoholā National Historic Site, and enhancing the visitor experience.

Voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia set to depart on next leg of voyage in Pacific

As part of the Moananuiākea Voyage, the Polynesian Voyaging Society reports that voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will soon depart Rarotonga, Cook Islands, for Aotearoa (New Zealand).

UH grad student’s research reveals plastic pollution threats to endangered coral reefs

A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa graduate’s new research has revealed that plastic pollution may pose an underappreciated threat to the survival of endangered coral reefs. The study, led by Keiko Wilkins, a recent PhD graduate from UH Mānoa’s Marine Biology Graduate Program, found that chemicals released from plastics disrupt two critical processes essential for […]

Volcano Watch: Volcano and earthquake monitoring in American Samoa

American Samoa is comprised of the easternmost islands of a volcanic island chain formed by the Samoan hot spot in the South Pacific Ocean, with its small islands the tops of volcanoes and an active volcanic seamount nearby.

WestPac Council pushes for tougher standards on foreign fisheries

The council urged NOAA to apply more rigorous standards when determining whether foreign fisheries meet US requirements for protecting marine mammals and reducing bycatch, and to create a clear process for public and stakeholder input.

Case introduces congressional bill to end discriminatory shipping practices

Hawai‘i US Rep. Ed Case has reintroduced a bill in the US House to end what he called “the discriminatory and exclusionary shipping practices faced by residents and businesses in Hawai‘i, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and other US territories.”

Hawaiian Airlines commemorates 40 years of connecting Honolulu and Pago Pago in American Samoa

Hawaiian Airlines commemorated 40 years of service connecting Honolulu and Pago Pago in America Samoa on Thursday. Hawaiian Airlines inaugurated flights to Pago Pago International Airport in American Samoa on Oct. 24, 1984, with DC-8 aircraft, starting its long relationship with the US territory.

Hawaiʻi announces readiness to host 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, June 6-16, 2024

The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC), the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders convenes on O‘ahu from June 6-16, 2024. More than 2,200 delegates from 27 Pacific nations will gather for 10 days of cultural exchange, appreciation, and celebration at various venues across the island. More than 50 festival events, including the opening and closing ceremonies, Festival Village, heritage dance and contemporary music performances, heritage arts demonstrations, visual arts exhibits, and more, will be free and open to the public.

Hawaiʻi-based team discovers rare seabird nests in American Sāmoa for first time in almost 40 years

Researchers from Archipelago Research and Conservation, in collaboration with several organizations, have discovered four active burrows of the rare Tahiti Petrel on Tutuila, American Sāmoa.

Volcano Watch: Volcanoes of American Samoa

Ta‘ū volcano in American Samoa experienced volcanic unrest in the form of an earthquake swarm that was felt throughout the Manuʻa Islands (Ofu-Olosega and Ta‘ū Islands) from late July through early September 2022.

Hawaiian Airlines to Resume American Samoa Service After 17 Month Pause

Hawaiian Airlines is reconnecting Honolulu and American Samoa by resuming nonstop flights to the location next week. Hawaiian, which suspended its twice-weekly HNL-PPG service at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, will be offering two flights per month starting on Monday, Sept. 13, through Dec. 20.

Disaster Relief Funding Passes House

Reps. Tulsi Gabbard and Ed Case voted to pass disaster relief assistance for Hawai‘i, California, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa and other areas affected by recent hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, earthquakes, volcanoes, and other natural disasters. The legislation passed by a vote of 237 to 187. Heavy rains hit Kaua‘i and O‘ahu […]

Maui Red Cross Volunteer To Help With Samoa Relief Effort

At least one Red Cross volunteer from Maui will be traveling to Samoa tomorrow to assist in relief efforts in the quake and tsunami damaged regions of American Samoa.  Other Hawaii Red Cross volunteers are on standby in anticipation of deploying to help those affected. The American Red Cross has a Disaster Relief Fund established […]

Tsunami Advisory Ends; 1.2 Ft Rise in Sea Level Reported At Kahului Harbor 9/29/09

The Tsunami Advisory for Hawaii has ended. Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares expressed appreciation for readiness in Hawaii, but sadness over the effects near the quake’s epicenter off of the Samoan Islands. “I appreciate the emergency readiness of our partnering state and federal agencies. Their efforts are as valuable as the efforts of our citizens who […]

Nakakuni On Track To Become Hawaii’s First Female U.S. Attorney

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously reported Assistant U.S. Attorney Florence “Flo” Nakakuni to the full Senate to be the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii. If confirmed by the full Senate, Nakakuni would be Hawaii’s first female U.S. Attorney. U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye who joined in making the announcement today said, “There is […]