The American Samoan governor, Togiola Tulafono, says he hopes the current visit by a top-level US delegation will expedite the next phase of the federal assistance programme for his territory after Cyclone Heta.
Yesterday, the US secretary of the interior, Gale Norton, and a congressional team arrived to tour Tutuila today for an asssessment of the situation.
A US public emergency was activated last week but American Samoa is still waiting for individual help to be released to families and businesses.