Oct
6
When in American Samoa, I heard from people that the DJ’s were joking about the event before it happened. That saddened me, but as you will see below there are two sides to every story. I did not witness the radio broadcast so I can’t say what truly happened, but as a reporter it’s my responsibility to show both of those sides.
The true culprit seems to be lack of tsunami education. The earthquake was so close to the islands that the only way to truly know what to do in that situation, would have been to already know. Let me know what you think…
Email from resident in American Samoa:
Talofa Malika,
I felt compelled to write you in regards to your email update about the tsunami. In your email you write, “One of the most disturbing things I heard is that over the radio DJ’s were joking about the threat of a tsunami and downplaying the urgency. That quickly changed as they saw a wave rushing at them and started yelling for people to head to high ground. At that point, it was already too late for some.” This is absolutely correct. I was afraid that I was the only person who noticed this.
Right after the earthquake, my family and I turned on the radio station 93.7 KHJ to listen for any updates. We live in Tafuna and are more inland, so we didn’t really feel threatened by any possible tsunami, but we wanted to listen to the reports. To my great dismay, both DJs, Lupe Lu and Joey Cummings were joking about the earthquake and Joey explicitely said that there was NO tsunami warning. In hindsight, we know that this was accurate, but not because there was no threat or danger of a tsunami, but because he hadn’t recieved word of a warning. I feel like this was misleading to the public. He made it seem like he had actually been told, “There is no tsunami coming your way” when in reality he simply had not received the information yet. Again, he and Lupe were really minimalizing the seriousness of the event, and then all of a sudden we hear him say that they are going off the air, and then about 30 seconds later, we hear Lupe crying and screaming in the background and Joey telling us that a tsunami has hit Pago and to evacuate to higher ground! As you observed, by then it was too late.
To be fair, after the earthquake, they did suggest that we could move to higher ground, but I think many people (including myself) felt like this was unnecessary as Joey then said that there was no tsunami warning. I think this was very irresponsible and I would dare say, it cost people their lives. People turn to the radio for news and instead of being told the realityof the situation, these two DJs spent the morning joking and trivializing this very serious event. This was a time for them to instruct ALL people to move to higher ground right away. In fact, right before the tsunami hit, a man called in to the radio station and reported that people were running on the wharf and that the water was receeding. Joey and Lupe were very condescending to this man, who was only trying to warn others but was instead met with skepticism and incredulity. I wish that the recording from that morning could be replayed for all to hear.
I know that this has been a very sobering and eye-opening event and I hope that we can all learn from this terrible tragedy. I acknowledge that people need to be responsible for themselves and their families, but I also know that the radio personalities on 93.7 KHJ did a great disservice to the people of the territory. I have lost students (and family members in Samoa) to this tragic event. It will be very hard to return to the classroom on Monday.
The other side; response from Radio DJ in American Samoa:
General Manager
93KHJ (KKHJ-FM)
V103 (WVUV-FM)
First, the person states that it was misleading to the public that the DJs announced that there was no tsunami warning. This was true. According to the Associated Press article in the October 1st edition of the Samoa News, “…it didn’t help that an international computerized system, designed for relief agencies to figure out if they needed to respond, had a computer failure that caused it to pooh-pooh the tsunami’s wrath initially.” The writer of this letter states, “He made it seem like he had actually been told, ‘There is no tsunami coming your way’ when in reality he simply had not received the information yet.” No one knew that a tsunami was coming towards the island until the waters began to recede and we were hit. How can one place blame on a radio DJ who knew just as much as the general public did? The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning until approximately 2-3 minutes before it hit.
In fact, before an official warning was announced, Joey Cummings stated that earthquakes of that strength may cause tsunamis and that it would be smart to move to higher ground. He stated that people should begin a “vertical evacuation,” meaning people should move to the highest point of the building they were in. Hearing this is what made me decide to go to higher ground instead of heading towards work. Knowing that no tsunami warning was released until just before we were hit and that DJ Joey Cummings had suggested moving to higher ground makes me wonder why the writer of this letter states, “I think many people (including myself) felt like this was unnecessary as Joey then said that there was no tsunami warning. I think this was very irresponsible and I would dare say, it cost people their lives.” Joey Cummings said there was no tsunami warning because, at that time, there was no tsunami warning! He is not employed by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and had no way to know that this was not the case. This was not his fault! When the caller informed the DJs about people on the wharf running and water receding, the DJs had no proof of this. They did not panic when this man called in, which caused me to stay calm. I guessed what was happening by this point, but was already on my way to higher ground, again, because of the suggestion of the 93 KHJ DJs.
And as for when the writer states that, “these two DJs spent the morning joking and trivializing this very serious event. This was a time for them to instruct ALL people to move to higher ground right away,” I honestly laugh. I am a teacher at a public high school on island. Approximately 6 months ago, an earthquake hit off of the coast of Tonga and a tsunami warning was issued. It occurred before school started, so there was no plan of action for students on campus. As I headed towards higher ground, I informed both students and teachers about the tsunami warning and offered to drive them to higher ground in my truck, and was met with nothing but laughs. Only 1 other teacher in my department took me seriously. On that day, less than 20 students and teachers were at the evacuation point for tsunamis. The rest ran towards the ocean. The next day, when co-workers and students heard that I had gone up the mountain to higher ground, I was laughed at and made fun of. 6 months ago, people were listening to the same radio station when this was announced, laughed, and did not go to higher ground. Even as I was driving to higher ground this past week, I was yelling from my car that a tsunami had just hit Pago Pago and they should move to higher ground. Every single person I told this to laughed at me. The relaxed attitude about something so serious is what worries me more than anything.
In conclusion, I would like to thank 93 KHJ, especially DJ Joey Cummings. While these events were going on, he passed on the knowledge that he was aware of and remained calm. I used the knowledge he passed on and decided to head to higher ground. I remained calm and did not panic because he was calm and not panicky. I hope that the residents of American Samoa understand that if anyone is to blame for the lack of a warning, it is the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawai’i that had a computer failure that caused no warning to be released until it was too late.
Thank you for your continued support and coverage of our territory,
Another Resident of American Samoa and Tsunami Survivor
Aug
30
Dan and the “Dead Cockroach”
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Duke’s Oceanfest was held this week at Waikiki beach to honor the legendary Duke Kahanamoku. World Class surfers, paddlers and the like congregate at Queens Beach, packed in like sardines, to catch a glimpse of living legends like Uncle Rabbit Kekai and Uncle China Uemura. They also get a great show! The best in the world come to show off their skills in longboard and tandem surfing. I felt like a kid in a candy store all week!
On Friday, Dan Cooke and I were LIVE in Waikiki for Sunrise on KGMB9… if you saw it, you know what that dot, dot, dot means. Dan wanted me to teach him a tandem move on the beach. I thought it would be funny if I carried him on my back. I called it the “Back Cracker.” We practiced and everything was A-O.K. Then, I had the bright idea to add a new element. “The cockroach” is a move longboarders do for laughs where they lie on their back and wave their legs and arms about. I figured it would be easy! I called it the “Back Cracker Cockroach.” We didn’t practice this, and the name would prove to be prophetic.
The first attempt was LIVE on Sunrise on KGMB9. I tried to lift him onto my back, but I was nervous and didn’t quite get the right footing. First attempt, fail! But we’re not quitters at KGMB9, so we tried again. This time I got a little lower, bent my knees a little more and… did a face plant right into the sand! With all of Dan’s weight falling on top of me, on LIVE television! You can’t script this kind of slapstick comedy! Dan, the “cockroach” definitely helped to “crack my back.” I immediately started getting text messages from friends who had seen the fiasco, and of course, thought it was hilarious. One of them said, ‘We LOVED the “dead” cockroach.’ For some reason, that name seemed more fitting than the Back Cracker Cockroach… and more to the point.
The “Dead Cockroach” is now our signature move! But don’t expect to see it done in the tandem competitions… I don’t think it’ll pass the safety requirements.
If you want to watch the video click here.
