FBI Releases Dramatic Video Footage of American Samoa Tsunami

Charlene Thornton, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Honolulu office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the release of dramatic footage of the September 29, 2009 American Samoa tsunami striking the parking lot of the building housing the FBI office in American Samoa.

The footage can be seen on the FBI website.

The video was taken from a stationary security camera at the FBI resident agency office on the second floor of Pago Plaza in the American Samoa Village of Pago Pago. Note that the time-stamp on the video is Hawaiian Standard Time, and local time in American Samoa is one hour earlier.

Because of its second floor location, the FBI office in American Samoa suffered only minimal damage, and the FBI continues to perform its law enforcement functions. During the aftermath of the tsunami, the FBI will continue to assist in recovery efforts as requested by the Territorial Office of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).