WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 4, 2009) — Save the Children is working on the ground in American Samoa with the local government, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross to respond to the needs of the more than 2,700 residents and 210 families impacted by the deadly tsunami that hit the Samoan Islands on Tuesday. Read a blog from Save the Children emergency staff in American Samoa.

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed, 34 people have been reported dead and in many parts of the islands water is not drinkable. Several families in American Samoa are living in shelters and Save the Children deployed to the region within 36 hours to ensure the needs of children were being met.

A young boy sits under the remains of his house in Leone, American Samoa. Photo credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Initial assessments found an immediate need for secure, structured places for children to play and recover in shelters. Save the Children established several safe playing spaces, called Child Friendly Spaces, to serve 300 children in the Amanya, Nual Se'etega and Leone shelters. These spaces offer books, toys, structured activities for children and temporary supervision, so that parents can register for emergency aid and begin to plan their families' next steps. Save the Children is also working with agencies on the ground to ensure additional children's needs, like diapers, cribs and clothing will be met.

American Samoa officials intend to re-open 28 of the territory's 32 elementary schools tomorrow, which will provide a safe, familiar place for children affected and help them to return to their normal routine. FEMA has reported that families will move out of the larger shelters and into individual family tent shelters this week.

"Children are our most vulnerable citizens, but their needs are all too often overlooked when disaster strikes," said Mark Shriver, managing director of Save the Children's U.S. Programs. "The tsunami in American Samoa underscores how quickly and unexpectedly a disaster can occur and the need to have measures already in place to protect our most vulnerable citizens."

Save the Children's U.S. Programs runs one of the most innovative and robust private disaster programs for children in the United States. Save the Children teams are on the ground before, during and after a major event to ensure the safety and well-being of children in shelters, as well as recovery for the local communities. Save the Children also advocates for policy changes at the local, state and federal level.

Save the Children is the leading independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world. Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 29 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.