Samoans and tourists ran for higher ground yesterday when sirens rang throughout the streets of Upolu Island - signalling that a tsunami was on its way.
A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Vanuatu - west of Samoa - late yesterday morning and a tsunami watch alert was announced on the Apia radio station 2AP at 1.30pm.
With the effects of last week's tsunami still raw, and with many survivors reporting that they had only about six minutes to escape the wave's destructive hand, no one dawdled.
Horns tooted as frustrated drivers became stuck in a large jam of people rushing towards the mountains.
At Aggie Grey's Hotel opposite the harbour in Apia, staff sprinted into guests' rooms, yelling to everybody to get out - "that's a tsunami warning".
The guests - many of them children - were told to walk calmly but quickly up four flights of stairs to the roof.
Many were visibly upset. One elderly woman cried on the phone as she told a relative she was okay.
Her daughter, stroking her shoulder gently, said: "It's okay."
Another upset woman, American Emily Simonson, was comforted by her boyfriend, Michael Gunsaulus.
Ms Simonson had survived last week's tsunami by holding on to a pole on the dock in Pago Pago, in American Samoa, and had watched the tsunami wave rush towards her - right over her head.
"[The tsunami] was incredible," she said. "The force was just so crazy - it was sucking me out but I had my arms and legs on the pole, just gripping for dear life. Flagposts are flying past me - I remember a refrigerator going past me - and I'm just there praying that I get out of this alive."
Yesterday, after about 45 minutes, the sirens stopped and the radio station said the tsunami warning had been lifted.
How you can help
Pacific Cooperation Foundation
Deposits can be made at at any Westpac branch. All the money raised will go to the Samoan Government
Red Cross
- Make a secure online donation at redcross.org.nz
- Send cheques to the Samoan Red Cross Fund, PO Box 12140, Thorndon, Wellington 6144
- Call 0900 31 100 to make an automatic $20 donation
- Make a donation at any NZ Red Cross office
ANZ bank
Make a donation at any ANZ bank branch, or donate directly to the ANZ appeal account: 01 1839 0143546 00
Oxfam
- Make a secure online donation at Oxfam.org.nz
- Phone 0800 400 666 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 600 20
Caritas
- Make a secure online donation at Caritas.org.nz
- Phone 0800 22 10 22 or make an automatic $20 donation by calling 0900 4 11 11
TEAR fund
- Make a secure online donation at tearfund.co.nz
- Phone 0800 800 777 to specify Samoa the Philippines or Indonesia. You can also donate at CD and DVD stores.
Mercury Energy
- Donate at mercury.co.nz
or text the word Samoa followed by the amount you wish to pledge and your Mercury account number to 515 or by calling 0800 10 18 10.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is asking for help with the clean-up habitat.org.nz
