Minor tsunami advisory reaches American Samoa after 7.8 Philippines quake; NOAA cuts loom
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Mindanao in the Philippines prompted the US Tsunami Warning Centre to forecast minor sea-level fluctuations (under 0.3 meters) for American Samoa and much of the Pacific, though no evacuations were ordered and the threat was assessed as low. Separately, the Trump administration's proposed FY2027 NOAA budget would cut more than $1 billion and eliminate programs—including coral reef conservation, ocean observation and coastal resilience grants—that support US Pacific territories like American Samoa. Regional coverage also marked the death of Manny Dueñas, a longtime Guam fishermen's advocate who championed indigenous fishing communities across American Samoa, CNMI and Hawaii.
Why it matters
As a low-lying US territory in a seismically active ocean, American Samoa depends heavily on US federal forecasting, fisheries management and coastal-protection programs, so proposed NOAA cuts would directly affect storm preparedness and the tuna-canning economy that anchors the islands. Tsunami advisories, even minor ones, are a recurring reminder of the territory's exposure—Samoa suffered a deadly tsunami in 2009.