The 29 September tsunami in Samoa killed 140 people. Stephen Rogers, our Honorary Consul in Apia, working with partner organisations went immediately to the affected area and retrieved 5 British Nationals. Once secure in Apia, Stephen arranged for medical treatment, accommodation, clothing and some basic items while at the same time handling multiple press enquiries.

The following day the British High Commission in Wellington dispatched Colin Green, newly arrived 1st Sec Consular, armed with the Consular Emergency Kit to establish a consular base at the NZ High Commission. Once Colin had met with the Brit’s involved, he began a tour of hospitals, morgues and police stations placing UK Consular contact flyers across Samoa. The initial figures of UK missing fluctuated between 16 –31, including the 2-year-old son of a hospitalised British couple.

George Fergusson, the High Commissioner, flew up the next morning on an RNZAF flight. From the aircraft, flying slowly and low along the south east coast of the most populous island, Upolu, the island’s main tourist area at first looked virtually undamaged: all the visible buildings were intact. The first indicator of something wrong was the logs all along what had clearly been the high water mark of the wave: the upright posts of the hundreds of traditional Samoan houses, or fales, which had been obliterated.

In Apia he met many of the worst affected British nationals. Most of the Britons were in some degree of shock. Some were upset that “every other country” had airlifted their citizens out already, and for free. Talking to them patiently, and piecing together the story, we established that the Australians had taken 28 uninjured nationals for free on an RAAF flight, partly to ease the burden on their hard-pressed High Commission. They were particularly appreciative of Stephen’s help on the first day, and gradually understood that they had not had worse treatment than others. George visited the injured couple in hospital, and thanked the impressive but under-resourced medical staff who had done superb work.

By next morning all UK nationals wanting to leave had left or were leaving. Our main remaining focus was the search for the missing 2-year old; and to try to reconcile the still fluctuating list of reported missing. After another round of local visits Colin stopped at the Ministry of Immigration, which was closed – undeterred Colin snuck in the back door. He found a very helpful official and a strikingly efficient computer-based record that gave movement and accommodation whereabouts of all those entering Samoa. With this single interaction, we managed to reduce our missing list down to 1 local UK resident (who turned up 3 days later).

George, sporting the latest FCO High Visibility vest, went to the worst hit area to talk to the search teams, who were led by Queensland Search & Rescue personnel. Alarmingly, despite assurances given us in Apia, they did not have the missing 2-year old on their missing list, which we corrected. The district – with 14 villages – was devastated. The same effect seen from the air, of buildings being either intact or completely disappeared, was even more striking. Local Samoan efforts to get things restarted were impressive. Stephen had reported on the first day that road washouts were already being marked with painted warning stones. By now, many had been filled in; and the debris on the road had been completely cleared: a bank of driftwood ran alongside the road – driftwood which until three days before had been people’s houses.

Meanwhile, arrangements were made for injured British couple to be evacuated by air to Auckland. Deborah Clay, Vice-Consul in Auckland, provided consular assistance to a family member who had flown out from Britain to support them. Deborah and her own sister came back to the hospital that afternoon, with spare clothes, make up and other comforts.

With the departure of the British who needed our help and the – unusually comprehensive - resolution of the ‘missing list’, Colin returned to NZ to support the consular team in Auckland. He hitched with the NZ Prime Minister’s Hercules flight and found himself in the bunk next to the PM, an unexpected degree of high level access, only a week into his appointment.

George also had more conventional representational duties: reporting to the Foreign Ministry on DFID’s much appreciated donation of £100,000 to the Red Cross (which they used to lever donations from other countries); meeting Samoan Government leaders, and calling on the Head of State to express condolences; and going to the National Memorial Service on Sunday.  He made a second visit to the coastal search unit, by now well organised with NZ Police dog teams in action; and was able to report that the search was thorough – but so far unsuccessful – to the parents in their Auckland hospital.  

Throughout, we had media demands to manage. Despite Samoa’s remoteness, we had BBC, ITN and Reuters TV and a team from the Telegraph, a stringer for the Times and various freelancers on the island. A reporter from one London daily rang several times, apparently on her way from Sydney airport, but seemed to lose interest when she established that those Britons who wanted had left and had spoken positively about their treatment from us.

We had excellent support from the FCO Response Centre (given that our hours of operation were mainly during London silent hours), and the consular and press teams in Wellington. The NZ High Commission were outstandingly generous in providing space and support in Apia.

But Samoa’s tight knit society – and population of 180,000 - has been tragically hit. New Zealand, with an even bigger population of Samoans, is also affected. In our High Commission, one staff member has lost family members. Others know of dead or missing. Samoa’s tourist industry in particular has been devastated. Almost the whole of the tourist infrastructure on Upolu has disappeared, and with it much of the biggest source of foreign exchange after remittances. We can only hope that the Samoans return to recovery will be swift and without further pain.  

      

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