22 Apr 2010

American Samoa govt receives insurance money for losses from 2009 tsunami

8:00 am on 22 April 2010

The American Samoa government has received three million US dollars from an insurance company for losses from September's tsunami.

The sum is an advance payment from Lloyds of London for damages and losses to government facilities.

Lima Fiatoa from the Territorial Office for Fiscal Reform says the money was received in March.

The insurance company has said the maximum claim should not exceed five million dollars.

However the government 's interpretation of the insurance policy is that the limit of claims is 25 millions.

So far a claim of just over seven million has been lodged.

Of that claim, 5.7 million was for structural damages and the remaining 1.9 million for contents.

Mr Fiatoa says the insurance task force is meeting to discuss how to proceed with the insurance claim.