Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In an update regarding a Facebook post, written by an Aunu’u resident that circulated Thursday, April 4, 2023, pleading for help to arrange a boat to assist them with food delivery, the local Department of Homeland Security sent out a boat with a handful of cases of bottled water for the residents of Aunu’u.

However, in a memo released on Friday, May 5th, the Auasi to Aunu’u transit, and vice versa was officially reopened.

In the memo, it notes that the winds, swells, and ocean surges have subsided and that the transit for the Aunu’u community has been deemed safe.

BACKGROUND

 The shortage of goods and other supplies is due to small boats not being able to make the trip back and forth in a channel that is considered highly dangerous in bad weather, with several deaths occurring due to drowning when boats ran into trouble with rough seas.

The post cited that they have been stuck on Aunu’u the past 5 days with no boats coming to replenish supplies and food.

The Facebook post asked if there could be arrangements made where a boat from Tutuila would be able to help them with food delivery — or as an alternative — take them to Tutuila to get food to be brought back to Aunu’u.

Some of the comments on this Facebook post showed members of the community tagging the Office of the Governor and KVZK in an attempt to garner attention to the neglect that the resident’s of Aunu’u have been enduring the past 5 days and to come up with a solution to resolve this crisis.

Samoa News called the Governor’s Office for comments on whether or not they were addressing the shortage of food and supplies for the residents of Aunu’u, to no avail with the voicemail message left by Samoa News unanswered to date.

No official comment or statement was made by any ASG departments such as Search and Rescue or the Port Administration to address arranging for a boat to deliver basic necessities and/ or to resolve the food and supply shortage in Aunu’u, or bring residents of the island to Tutuila until such time the channel or high waves became calm.

However, with the weather returning to normal and high winds having subsided, the community of Aunu’u should have returned to some normalcy over the weekend.

Further noted is that Aunu’u also suffers from a water problem with ASPA continuing to work on how to supply the island with consistent clean water — suitable for drinking. As a result, residents of Aunu’u do not pay for their water, which is something Eastside residents have queried, as they too say their water — especially on the far Eastside of the island — is brackish and not ‘clean’ for consumption.

Recently, one of the Eastside faipule asked ASPA to not only look at the problem, but also to drop the rates charged for the water supply on their side of the island.