Campus Alert Archive
ASCC

Gita Rewrites the Spring Calendar: American Samoa's Only College Closes as Cyclone Tears Through

AShurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence

Tropical Cyclone Gita passed near American Samoa on February 9-10, 2018, bringing up to 17 inches of rain, destructive winds, and a storm surge that left approximately 90 percent of the main island without power or water for over a week. American Samoa Community College, the territory's only post-secondary institution, closed as the storm struck and was forced to revise its semester timetable to recover instruction hours. President Trump approved a major disaster declaration (DR-4357-AS) making federal aid available to the territory.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
American Samoa Community College
Community College · AS
~2,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction338 chars
American Samoa Community College is closed due to Tropical Cyclone Gita. All classes and campus activities are cancelled until further notice. Students residing on or near campus should follow the guidance of American Samoa Emergency Management and seek shelter in a designated safe location. Updates will be provided as conditions allow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

American Samoa uses Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11), 11 hours behind UTC and one of the westernmost time zones in US territory.
ASCC is the sole post-secondary institution in American Samoa, serving a student body of approximately 2,000 on a campus in Mapusaga, Tutuila, making any closure a territory-wide educational disruption.
The cyclone caused approximately $10 million in damage across American Samoa and left 90 percent of Tutuila without power or water for over a week, making normal campus communications impossible.
ALL CLEARUnknown
Approximate reconstruction298 chars
American Samoa Community College will resume operations as conditions on campus and in the territory allow. The semester schedule will be revised to ensure all required instruction hours are completed. Students will be notified of the revised academic calendar through official ASCC communications.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The ASCC 2018-2020 General Catalog explicitly notes the cyclone disrupted the spring semester and required a timetable revision to recover lost instructional hours.
ASCC's student government organization led relief efforts for community members whose homes were damaged, demonstrating the college's dual role as educational and community institution during emergencies.
Structural damage to the ASCC campus was described as minimal despite the severity of the storm, allowing a relatively timely reopening compared to residential community losses.
Context

Background

American Samoa Community College is the only post-secondary institution in the US territory of American Samoa, located in Mapusaga on the island of Tutuila. With approximately 2,000 students, ASCC also serves as the Multi-Purpose Center for the American Samoa Government's Emergency Operations Center. Tropical Cyclone Gita formed in early February 2018 and passed near American Samoa on February 9-10 before tracking toward Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. The storm brought up to 17 inches of rainfall and destructive winds, leaving approximately 90 percent of Tutuila without power or water for more than a week and causing over $10 million in damage. President Trump approved FEMA disaster declaration DR-4357-AS making federal assistance available. Though structural damage to the ASCC campus was minimal, the disruption forced the college to revise its spring semester timetable to recover required instruction hours. Students, led by the Student Government Organization, organized relief efforts for community members whose homes were heavily damaged. The college's dual role as both educational institution and territory-wide emergency operations hub is documented in its 2024 Disaster Emergency Plan.
Analysis

Key Findings

ASCC is both the territory's only post-secondary institution and the designated alternate Emergency Operations Center for the American Samoa Government, giving it a dual civilian-emergency role
Cyclone Gita left 90 percent of Tutuila without power or water for over a week, making normal campus communications impossible during and after the storm
Structural damage to ASCC was minimal despite severe community impact, but the semester timetable had to be revised to recover lost instructional hours
American Samoa observes Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11), making it one of the westernmost US-affiliated time zones
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    Samoa and American Samoa Assess Damage After Cyclone Gita | ReliefWeb
    reliefweb.int
  2. Official
    ASCC 2018-2020 General Catalog | American Samoa Community College
    amsamoa.edu
  3. Official
    American Samoa Tropical Storm Gita (DR-4357-AS) | FEMA
    fema.gov
  4. Source
    Cyclone Gita | Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
hurricanecycloneamerican-samoaterritorycommunity-collegegitapower-outagesemester-disruptionfema2018
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion