Launch of Surviving a Tsunami : Dealing with Disaster : Lessons from the Samoa Tsunami 29.09.09 by Angela Jowitt, Jackie Faasisila and Walter Dudley

Fittingly today, on the 2nd Anniversary of Samoa Tsunami, Jackie and I launched our book. It is with many thanks to Rae from Read Pacific Ltd for making this possible in such a short time frame to meet the deadline of today!
The ceremony was fitting and included a moments silence in memory of lives lost 2 years ago.
A copy of the book was donated to the following people:-
• Nelson Memorial Public Library
• Salelologa Public Library
• Atua Farmer’s District Library
• Clea’s Library at Lalomanu Primary School
• Poutasi Secondary School
• Saleapaga Primary School
• The Reverend Lotu Uele
• The NZ High Commissioner – Nick Hurley

Tili Afamasaga was our keynote speaker and commented on the UNESCO International Tsunami Survey Team, that Jackie, Walter and I were a part of, explaining its formation and the research report presented to the Goverment. She also made brief comments on the book saying that “it includes lessons and what can be learnt from the disaster. It includes basic information about Earthquakes and Tsunamis and combines scientific information with the experiences of the survivors. It is written in simple and informative language, using photographs, graphic illustrations, simple maps, iconic images and the voices of survivors in brief but startling excerpts. Every reader young or old whether in or out of school should find useful information in this book.”

Books are available for purchase through Read Pacific Ltd or by email to our publishers in New Zealand or through the following bookshops in Samoa - Samoa Stationery and Books, Business Systems, MaxKar and Plantation House.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our launch today especially our friends who came to show their support and to the schools from the South Coast who came over. We are very pleased to be able to present this information for the people of Samoa.


A USP Colleague reading the book and Jackie and I autographing copies.

In central downtown Apia the MaxKar bookshop has it's windows plastered in a book cover display!

posted from Bloggeroid

Our beautiful Samoan girl

On Saturday 3rd September we lost a light from our lives. After a week of illness and going down slowly Lucky lost the fight to breathe and her heart stopped.

It was not until she refused to eat for 2 nights running that we knew something was really wrong. It took 2 of us and a whole day off work to get her in the car, only her second time ever, and take her to the vet. A thorough check was made but no definite conclusions could be drawn as to what was the matter. She was young, only 4-5 years old and prior to this was strong and healthy. We could only conclude it to be some form of poisoning or something dreadful she ate.

Apparently in Samoa 4 years is the averge lifespan of a dog. There are not many options available for testing, certainly no x-ray or sophisticated blood tests. If tthere was no improvement the next thing to try was opening her up for exploratory surgery of the stomach to check for obstructions. She did not appear to have a tender stomach though. It was more the short heavy breathing. In the mean time we administered hourly fluids by syringe. A combination of water and Niu, coconut juice, to combat dehydration.

We are going to miss her welcoming us home every night. Tearing around the section like a mad thing with her ears flapping up and down, chasing the pigeons and running towards us in such great excitement to see us that we thought she would bowl us over. You had to be quick too, to dodge the big lick she had waiting for you. She was a protective and jealous dog at times which was something we had to watch out for and she was the main suspect for the excavations in the garden but she came with us whenever we walked up to the shop and waited for us outside. She learnt to "sit" very quickly, no mean feat for a Samoan dog, and she learnt to wear a collar and to chase a ball, which we thought was pretty good for a dog suspicious of foreign objects and new experiences. Most of the time however she would roll on her back with her legs in the air waiting for a tummy tickle. She loved it when Adam rubbed her ears hard and she would lean her head against your hand until you did this for her.

She was the first dog I ever trusted and learned to love. When she had her puppies she led me up the street to show me where they were and she trusted me to pick them up. She may also be the only dog around who could scale a 1.2 metre high fence by climbing up it and fitting between the mesh and the barbed wire that was on top. This meant we could never keep her in. She was a free spirit who ran the street and was always up for chasing off the strays. She was a slightly palagised Samoan dog who didn't have a bath in the whole time we knew her as she was crafty at avoiding water.

Our beautiful Samoan girl will always be in our hearts and our minds. She is buried wrapped in a Samoan lavalava and surrounded by frangipani and hibiscus and she will be here in her street and at the place where she knew she was loved forevermore.

RIP our Lucky. We are glad to have spent time with you and glad we could show you some happiness during your life but we will miss you dearly.

The pineapples

Our pineapples are getting bigger. We have it on good authority that the purple flowers are normal and that after this it will take until about Christmas for the pineapples to be ready. Runners are coming out of the base below the pineapple and if we replant these we'll get more in another year.

Pineapples at 2 weeks



Pineapples at 4 weeks