US$1.5 million for American Samoan weather forecasts

American Samoa’s Tafuna weather station will receive more than US$l.5 million in a bid to break its reliance on the Nadi Weather Office, based in Fiji.

US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega made the announcement after a meeting with Richard Hagemeyer, Director of the US National Weather Service (NWS) Hawaii Regional Office.

He said President Clinton’s FY 2001 budget for American Samoa proposes U 55985,000 for NWS operations, U 55577,000 for new construction, and an increase of one new weather observer.

“I have been working with Hagemeyer for several years now in an effort to

increase the presence of the weather service in American Samoa,” said Faleomavaega, “and this is the next increment. For too many years we had to rely on forecasts from Nadi, Fiji, which because of their distance from Samoa, were often time inaccurate.”

“Over the last 11 years, we have added eight remote weather sensing stations, a second meteorologist and an electronic technician. Now, the President is proposing $577,000 for a complete renovation of our weather station, including a new building,” continued the Congressman.

“I want to thank NOAA Administrator Dr D James Baker, Hagemeyer, and others

involved in preparing the NWS budget, but we must also recognize that this support would not have been there without the excellent work of HC Leilua Akapo Akapo, director of our local weather station, his deputy director HC Liufau Tanielu, and their staff members. Their work has resulted in many lives being saved. With our distance from major forecast centres, they often have to produce forecasts under very adverse circumstances, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude,” said Faleomavaega.

The proposal for the 2001 fiscal year is an increase of $56,000 in operations funding and $577,000 for construction over FY 2001 funding levels. ■