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Lt. Gov. urges ‘extend your Samoan hospitality’ to our federal visitors

Allison Pfaendler
… who are assisting with a myriad of projects and tasks
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale is asking the community to “know that we have visitors here, who are here to help us and to please extend your Samoan hospitality if you see them out and about.”

“Be kind to our folks who are here from the U.S service as well as our federal partners who are here sacrificing, leaving their families and coming here to help American Samoa deal with the [COVID] surge,” Talauega said during Monday’s virtual news conference.

Talauega’s remarks came after the federal response presentation by Allison Pfaendler, leader of the U.S Federal Emergency Management Agency Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT).

Pfaendler gave an update, saying that 37 federal support partners left on last Thursday’s Hawaiian Airlines flight — and they included members of the federal Health and Medical Support Task Force that has been on island since early last month providing support to LBJ Medical Center.

On that incoming flight, more federal support team members arrived including those from the U.S Public Health Service and the U.S Health and Human Service to support LBJ and the Health Department.

She also shared the work of the federal team since they were activated to help with the COVID-19 surge since early March. And during the “surge in hospitalization in the last 30-days, we have also been assisting in resourcing requests... logistics on a new mission — mask distribution,” she said.

“So we will be assisting TEMCO in mask the distribution campaign, targeting government facilities. It’s really great we’ll be able to get masks out and support your preventative measures,” she points out.

Additionally, “we’ve been supporting LBJ and DoH on FEMA reimbursement requirement procedures where we’ve obligation over $6 million” to DoH, LBJ and the Office of Disaster Assistance and Petroleum Management (ODAPM), she points out.

And “we continue to work on projects” for the American Samoa Power Authority, local Homeland Security Department, Port Administration, American Samoa Telecommunications Authority as well as ODAPM, DoH and LBJ.

“This is very important to get those reimbursements because it helps support the COVID-19 response surge,” she explained.

She also said that federal partners continue to have the U.S Army Corps of Engineers provide technical assistance to LBJ for facility conversion project and they have been facilitating expedited equipment procurement, which is going to bring on equipment to the island to support that conversion.

And as of this week, a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) senior health communications specialist will support ASG for 30-days. Additionally, CDC Epidemiologist, Dr. Thane Hancock will provide “virtual epidemiologist support” for ASG.

“As always, it’s been really great to work here along side the American Samoa counterparts... integrating with all of you. And its been great to able to try to increase the vaccination, increase people wearing masks, increasing people getting therapeutics when they really needed the most and hopefully preventing folks from having to go to the hospital,” she said.

Talauega expressed appreciation to Pfaendler for “your service to our community, as she has been with us since early March. She’s part of the first team that came down and she’s still here helping our community deal with COVID surge.”

Meanwhile, FEMA reminds the public that it has an ongoing program available for financial assistance with COVID-19 related funeral costs. Call the FEMA Help Line - 844-684-6333 with hours of operation from 2am. to 2p.m local Samoa Standard time.

Additional information about COVID-19 funeral assistance, including frequently asked questions, is available on FEMA.gov.