Tsunamis Hit American Samoa's Economic Engine

AUDREY McAVOY

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — The tsunami that killed nearly 200 people in the Samoas also dealt a vicious blow to the already sputtering enne of the American Samoa economy: tuna canneries.

The U.S. territory has long been home to Chicken of the Sea and Starkist plants that make more than half the canned tuna consumed in the U.S., filling American grocery store shelves with millions of cylindrical cans used for tuna sandwiches and salads.

Even before 10-foot (three-meter) high tsunamis roared ashore Sept. 29, the territory had been bracing for the closure of the Chicken of the Sea facility, which meant nearly 2,000 people would lose their jobs. Thanks to the tsunamis, the end effectively came a day earlier than scheduled.

The cannery run by StarKist Co. lost power in the tsunami and isn't expected to return to full production for another month or so.

The canneries directly and indirectly make up about 80 percent of all economic activity in American Samoa, a remote Pacific island territory of 65,000 people about a five-hour plane ride from Hawaii.