APIA, Samoa ? Disaster officials rushed food, medicine and a temporary morgue to the Samoas on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake unleashed a tsunami that flattened villages and swept cars and people out to sea. At least 119 people were killed.
Survivors fled to higher ground on the South Pacific islands after the magnitude 8.0 quake struck at 6:48 a.m. local time (1:48 p.m. EDT; 1748 GMT) Tuesday.
Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa about 15 minutes after the quake, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman.
Military transports carrying medical personnel, food, water, medicines and other supplies were headed to the stricken islands.
"Right now, we're focused on bringing in the assistance for people that have been injured, and for the immediate needs of the tens of thousands of survivors down there," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate said.
A Coast Guard C-130 plane loaded with aid and carrying FEMA officials was headed from Hawaii to American Samoa's capital of Pago Pago, where debris had been cleared from runways to allow for emergency planes to land.
It's not immediately clear what kind of warning people in the two islands had once the earthquake hit and set off the tsunami. Some people had enough warning to flee the tsunami. But a warning system run by the Global Security and Crisis Management Unit failed to evaluate the tsunami's impact in real time because of a hardware failure.
Meanwhile, American Samoa families were desperately searching for missing relatives.
Hundreds of people bombarded local radio stations with requests that they announce the names of their missing loved ones in hopes they could be found. Radio stations responded with announcements urging listeners to contact their families immediately.
High Chief Loa Pele Faletogo, the president of the Samoan Federation of America in Carson, Calif., spent the morning comforting Samoans who came to see him in tears, looking for word about their relatives in American Samoa.
Working the phones and monitoring news from the island, the chief said he learned the body of one of his cousins was found floating along the shore. The woman, in her 60s, had helped tend the family's land, he said.
"I am the one people run to when things happen," Faletogo said. "One of the qualities of a chief is to calm people down even though it is hurting inside."
Faletogo said clergy are planning a service for Southern California's Samoan community to grieve. He is also trying to set up a call center to answer residents' questions and organize what he expects will be a much-needed drive to provide assistance to victims in American Samoa.
"As the day goes on, the news gets worse," he said.
New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Bill English said tents, stretchers, the temporary morgue facilities and a body identification team were sent to Samoa after a "specific request" from local officials, who are "are very concerned about the growing death toll."
The quake was centered about 120 miles south of the islands of Samoa, which has about 220,000 people, and American Samoa, a U.S. territory of 65,000.
Another strong underwater earthquake rocked western Indonesia on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Samoan quake, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean. The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings, cut power and triggered a landslide on Sumatra island, and at least 75 people were reported killed. Experts said the seismic events were not related.
The Samoan capital, Apia, was virtually deserted by afternoon, with schools and businesses closed. Hours after the waves struck, sirens rang out with another tsunami alert and panicked residents headed for higher ground again, although there was no indication of a new quake.
In Pago Pago, the streets and fields were filled with ocean debris, mud, overturned cars and several boats as a massive cleanup effort stretched into the night. Several buildings in the city ? just a few feet above sea level ? were flattened. Power was expected to be out in some areas for up to a month.
Water service has been restored to many villages, but power is still out in most areas. More than 1,000 people spent the night in some 15 emergency shelters, some of which are expected to close during the day Wednesday.
President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster for American Samoa. Obama said in a statement early Wednesday that he and his wife, Michelle, "will keep those who have lost so much in our thoughts and prayers."
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: