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US President Barack Obama - Source: Reuters -
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US President Barack Obama on Wednesday has declared a major disaster exists in the Territory of American Samoa.
A series of tsunamis smashed into the Pacific island nations of American and Western Samoa killing possibly more than 100 people, destroying villages and injuring hundreds.
A Pacific-wide tsunami warning was issued after a huge 8.0 magnitude undersea quake off American Samoa, with reports of a small tsunami reaching New Zealand and rising sea levels in several South Pacific island nations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled its warning.
The US declaration will make available both immediate resources for emergency response measures as well as federal funding for American Samoa.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency has named Kenneth Tingman the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FEMA said they were dispatching two emergency teams to the region. It has also pre-positioned supplies in Hawaii that could be used for emergency response.
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