Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Learning From Earthquakes

Samoan Islands

Data Map

ShakeMap is a product of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program in conjunction with the regional seismic networks. ShakeMaps provide near-real-time maps of ground motion and shaking intensity following significant earthquakes. These maps are used by federal, state, and local organizations, both public and private, for post-earthquake response and recovery, public and scientific information, as well as for preparedness exercises and disaster planning. (USGS)

Reconnaissance Photo Gallery

The Reconnaissance Photo Gallery is a repository of photos taken by EERI field teams and other contributors. Many photos are geolocated and allow field teams, researchers, and those involved in recovery effort to identify specific damage locations by site and proximity to other features using the Data Map. The Photo Gallery can be filtered by user and searched for specific records, or used to upload photos in the field.

Featured Resources

August 22, 2018
By Steven Baldridge, Hermann Fritz, Costas Synolakis, Jose Borrero, Emile Okal, Robert Weiss, Patrick Lynett, Vasily Titov, Bruce...
August 22, 2018
Earthquake information from USGS including ShakeMap and PAGER.

Resources

DateCategoryTitleDescription
08-22-2018
Link to external resourceSeismology
USGS Event PageEarthquake information from USGS including ShakeMap and PAGER.
08-22-2018
BuildingsReportTsunami
Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami of September 29, 2009By Steven Baldridge, Hermann Fritz, Costas Synolakis, Jose Borrero, Emile Okal, Robert Weiss, Patrick Lynett, Vasily Titov, Bruce Jaffe, Spyros Foteinis, I-Chi Chan, Philip L.-F. Liu, Jennifer Donahue, Michael J. Olsen, Lori Dengler, Kate Long, Jeff Brandt, Heather Lazrus, and Lesley Ewing. January 2010, Ear...
08-22-2018
EERI team updateReport
Reconnaissance Field Observations2009, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
08-22-2018
Link to external resourceTsunamiTsunami Science
Niuatoputapu TsunamiBy 'Anau Fonokalafi, with illustrations by Soakimi Maka Finau. 2013, Tonga Broadcasting Commission and International Tsunami Information Center. In January 2010, the Tonga Broadcasting Commission sent a television crew to Niuatoputapu to interview the survivors of the September 2009 tsunami in Samoa Islands...
08-22-2018
DataLink to external resourceTsunami
NOAA Tsunami Event Page2009, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Samoa tsunami was generated by a Mw 8.1 earthquake (15.509˚S, 172.034˚W ), at 17:48:10 UTC, 195 km (125 miles) south of Apia, Samoa (according to the USGS). In approximately an hour, the tsunami was recorded at DART® buoys 51425 and 51...
08-22-2018
Link to external resourceSeismologyTsunami Science
Preliminary Analysis of the September 29, 2009 Samoa Tsunami, Southwest Pacific Ocean2009, U.S. Geological Survey. The tsunami that was triggered by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on September 29, 2009, caused significant damage and loss of life on Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga. In the hopes that disasters such as this can be minimized in the future, we attempt to understand the mechanism and...
02-23-2018
Link to external resourceTsunamiTsunami Science
Observations about the tsunami alertBy Lori Dengler. 2009, Humboldt State University.
02-23-2018
BuildingsStructural EngineeringTsunami
Observations on Structural DamageBy Steven Baldridge. 2009, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. With funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), EERI member and structural engineer Steven Baldridge, president of Baldridge and Associates in Honolulu, Hawaii, visited Pago Pago, American Samoa, to investigate structural da...
02-22-2018
City and Regional PlanningEmergency ManagementEmergency response
Community Education & Evacuation Planning Saved Lives2009, Georgia Institute of Technology. Press release from Georgia Tech.
02-22-2018
TsunamiTsunami Science
Interviews from the FieldBy Walter Dudley. November 2009, University of Hawaii. Interviews conducted by tsunami researcher, Professor Walter Dudley of the University of Hawaii. Posted on the USGS event page.

Photo Gallery

Photos in this gallery have been contributed by EERI members and California Earthquake Clearinghouse participants. Photos from this gallery can be used for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution.

Photo Information
Attachment ID
Caption/Description
Latitude
Longitude
Date Taken
Data Copyright Holder
Photographer
Original Filename
Filename
File Type
Additional Information
Record ID
Observer Name
Observer Email
Experience Level of Observer
Observation Category
Description
Date and Time of Observation
Type of Bridge
Affiliation
Observer Area of Expertise
Professional Licenses Held By Observer
Timezone
Site Owner
Site Latitude
Site Longitude
Bridge ID
Route
Bridge Foundation
Length (ft)
Width (ft)
Year Built
Retrofit
Year of Retrofit
Causes of Damage (Bridges)
Bridge Functional
Estimated Repair Time
Additional Notes (Bridges)
Level of Lead Organization
Type of Organization
Incident Command System Functional Area
Additional notes (Emergency Management/Response)

Data Map

A preview of the data map is shown below. For more functionality (toggle layers, adjust transparency, and view data tables), view the map on ArcGIS Online here.

Materials on this site and on the data maps may be used with proper atrribution (Name of individual or organizational contributor) for non-commercial uses. Questions, contact eeri@eeri.org

How to Contribute

EERI members and other earthquake risk reduction professionals can contribute to reconnaissance efforts for this earthquake in the following ways:
1. Share your reconnaissance plans

If you will be participating as a part of a reconnaissance mission, recovery mission, or traveling to the impacted area for any other purpose, please share information about your plans through the Contact Form.  EERI can help link you to others in the field, support you in efforts to share photos or observations, and connect you with the EERI team (if one is mobilized).

2. Check into the local clearinghouse

If you plan to conduct reconnaissance, please make sure to be in communication with Recep “Ray” Cakir, who is leading the Physical Clearinghouse in Ankara. The information collected through reconnaissance can provide valuable situational awareness for those responding. The physical clearinghouse will close on May 15, 2023 and, at that time, local clearinghouse operations will continue virtually. Ray will continue to serve as the Clearinghouse contact and can be reached at:

3. Contribute Photos and Notes

Contribute post-earthquake field observations and photos. Once reconnaissance teams and others begin to share their photos and observations, they will also be shown on the virtual clearinghouse  Data Map and Photo Gallery pages.  All submissions will help inform both reconnaissance and recovery efforts.  A video tutorial on how to upload photos is available here.

For login information and help, please email maggie@eeri.org.

4. Submit an Paper to the Earthquake Spectra Special Collection

Earthquake Spectra invites earthquake researchers to contribute papers to a special collection titled, “Impact of the February 6, 2023 M7.8 and M7.6 Earthquakes in Turkey on the Built Environment, and Implications on Seismic Hazard.” More Information about how to submit a paper is available here: https://www.eeri.org/about-eeri/news/16199-earthquake-spectra-announces-special-collection-of-past-papers-on-turkey-syria-and-call-for-new-papers-on-the-february-2023-earthquake-sequence.

5. Review Ethical Reconnaissance Training Materials

As you consider reconnaissance, you are encouraged to review training materials for ethical reconnaissance from CONVERGE, available here: https://converge.colorado.edu/resources/

Other Ways to Contribute

Earthquake investigators are encouraged to contact EERI staff at eqclearinghouse@eeri.org if they have suggestions about how they can contribute to this clearinghouse effort.

EERI members and other earthquake risk reduction professionals can contribute to reconnaissance efforts for this earthquake in the following ways:

1. Contribute Photos and Notes

There are several ways that you can contribute to our data collection effort.  (A) Contribute post-earthquake field observations and photos or (B) contribute relevant pre-event images of the impacted area to provide baseline data for locations that field teams should visit to observe impacts. Once reconnaissance teams and others begin to share their photos and observations, they will also be shown on the virtual clearinghouse  Data Map and Photo Gallery pages.  All submissions will help inform both reconnaissance and recovery efforts.

Here is a video on how to use our batch uploader tool here.

For login information and help, please email eqclearinghouse@eeri.org.

Earthquake investigators are encouraged to contact EERI Clearinghouse staff at eqclearinghouse@eeri.org if they have suggestions about how they can contribute to this clearinghouse effort.

About

What is A Virtual Clearinghouse?

Virtual Clearinghouses are part of EERI’s Learning for Earthquakes (LFE) program. Beginning in 2009, EERI began to host a series of virtual earthquake clearinghouses after major earthquakes where information coming from the affected area could be quickly shared with members and others. These virtual clearinghouses are websites that contain early information provided by investigators from a variety of disciplines, including members of EERI reconnaissance teams. The virtual clearinghouses primarily capture ephemeral data about each event, but may also be updated with recovery and rebuilding information over time. For a complete list of EERI virtual clearinghouse sites and more information about the Learning From Earthquakes program, visit http://www.learningfromearthquakes.org.

How do I use this site?

EERI members and other investigators are encouraged to use this clearinghouse website to share brief observations and photos from the field as well as link to other resources or websites where more detailed information can be found. Please help contribute to our effort.

The Resources page displays all the resources collected through various sources (i.e. field reconnaissance posts, reconnaissance reports, links to previously collected data sources, housing reports for the affected area, etc.) in a searchable summary table. These resources are organized by categories. This page provides users with several resources including reconnaissance reports. It also contains links to other sites for more information.

The Data Map displays observations (primarily captioned photos but occasionally other data) from EERI field teams or other contributors showing earthquake damage and impacts. Many of these photos are geolocated to allow field teams, researchers and those involved in the recovery effort to identify specific damage locations.

The Photo Gallery is a database of these photos that can be searched for specific information. Data Maps also overlay many data layers from other organizations including the USGS shake maps and ground motion stations when possible.

The How to Contribute page identifies ways that EERI members and other earthquake risk reduction experts can contribute to the reconnaissance effort and virtual clearinghouse site.

If you are interested in a particular topic, use the search bar at the top of the page to find information on specific subjects, navigate posts, and uncover related media articles. Additionally, use the search bar to explore the Photo Gallery to see what has been posted thus far.

How does EERI respond to earthquakes?
What does a reconnaissance team do?

EERI responds to earthquakes as a part of its Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) program. EERI often sends a reconnaissance team of earthquake risk mitigation experts to investigate earthquake impacts depending on the earthquake magnitude, location, extent of impacts on the built environment, funding constraints, and many other factors. The reconnaissance team makes a rapid, general damage survey of the affected area, documents initial important observations from the particular earthquake, and assesses the need for follow-up areas of research. Observations and findings from these teams support emergency response and recovery activities in the short term and improve the understanding of natural hazards and how to mitigate their impacts in the long term.

Who is EERI?

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is a nonprofit multi-disciplinary technical society of engineers, practicing professionals, and researchers dedicated to reducing earthquake risk. For more information visit www.eeri.org.