Tsunami Tuesday

You may have heard of the earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa today. Our family is fine, and so far all the families we know are fine as well, thankfully. Our house is nestled in a valley at about 200 ft above sea level and about 2 miles from the ocean. So we haven't been really affected by the tsunami.

Around 6:50 this morning as we were getting ready for the day we started feeling shaking. Everything was rattling: doors, fans, windows. It felt like someone was picking up our house and swaying it. We quickly gathered the kids and got under two doorframes until it finished. We estimate it was about a minute, but some people say longer. It felt long, so we knew it was a big earthquake.

After things calmed down, we got dressed, ate breakfast, and wondered if we should send Ella to school. We decided to keep her home for awhile because they send kids home for tsunami warnings, and we hadn't heard anything yet. We didn't know the extent of the damage until we started seeing the news.

We've been hearing news of damaged buildings, roads, and homes. Heavy damage in Pago Pago and Leone. We've heard of looting, injuries, and casualties. Ephraim's coworker Francis witnessed the tsunami in Fagaitua, and said it looked like footage from Indonesia. Our neighbors Paul and Melanie and James are out right now to clear roads and help out. I'm sure we'll get a report from them this evening. Our Filipino neighbors are hosting a dozen families today until things clear up and they feel safe enough to go home.

American Samoa is so close to the Tonga Trench where the earthquakes happen that there is no warning--just the earthquake, and if it's strong enough you head for high ground. People here panic and clog up the roads. We're staying home and staying safe.

Thanks for your prayers and concern!