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River flooding, especially flash floods, are a serious and frequent problem in Samoa and in particular Apia where steep catchments with rapid flood onsets are subject to frequent heavy rainfall events. The April 2001 flood event inundated large parts of Apia urban area within a negligible time lag from the beginning of the intense rainfall. The surrounding watersheds responded to the flash floods with combined overbank/overland flow. Approximately 5,000 local residents were directly affected by the flood and resulting damages were estimated in excess of WST$ 11 million. Such events are not rare for Samoa.

River flooding, especially flash floods, are a serious and frequent problem in Samoa and in particular Apia where steep catchments with rapid flood onsets are subject to frequent heavy rainfall events. The April 2001 flood event inundated large parts of Apia urban area within a negligible time lag from the beginning of the intense rainfall. The surrounding watersheds responded to the flash floods with combined overbank/overland flow. Approximately 5,000 local residents were directly affected by the flood and resulting damages were estimated in excess of WST$ 11 million. Such events are not rare for Samoa.

The mission was undertaken as an integral part of the Key Result Area 2 (Water) contribution to the SOPAC EU EDF8/9 Project "Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States" with the objective of field surveying the current asset condition status of domestic and community rainwater harvesting infrastructure. Although a little over eight field survey days were achieved on-island, daily progress was compromised by various difficulties, particularly the limited availability of diesel fuel on-island which impacted both ease of transportation and availability of electricity and water. Despite these constraints, two field survey teams visited a total of 308 properties within the districts of Buada, Yaren, Meneng, Anibare and ljuw, initiating a comprehensive database which can either be fully completed within the remaining island districts at a future date, or used with some confidence as a statistically representative sample for forward interpolation of "whole-of- island" conditions.

The mission was undertaken as an integral part of the Key Result Area 2 (Water) contribution to the SOPAC EU EDF8/9 Project"Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States" with the objective of field surveying the current asset condition status of domestic and community rainwater harvesting infrastructure. Although a little over eight field survey days were achieved on-island, daily progress was compromised by various difficulties, particularly the limited availability of diesel fuel on-island which impacted both ease of transportation and availability of electricity and water. Despite these constraints, two field survey teams visited a total of 308 properties within the districts of Buada, Yaren, Meneng, Anibare and ljuw, initiating a comprehensive database which can either be fully completed within the remaining island districts at a future date, or used with some confidence as a statistically representative sample for forward interpolation of "whole-of- island" conditions.