WEST VALLEY CITY — In the days after an earthquake and tsunami devastated several Pacific islands, tales of death and destruction made their way to the U.S. mainland via friends and family.

There were houses that crumbled under the weight of the water, they said, and mothers who were not strong enough to keep their children from the sea.

Bodies were pulled from harbors and taken to churches that were turned into morgues.

But as Utah's Samoan community grapples with the disaster that killed at least 150 people Tuesday, many are preparing to send a wave of support to the islands.

"Words cannot express our feelings," said Fotu Katoa, Utah's director of Pacific Islander Affairs, in addressing a few dozen people at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center Thursday. "But we always take care of our families and our villages."

While American Samoa was receiving attention from the U.S. government, many in attendance Thursday said local efforts should focus elsewhere.

"We need to concentrate on Samoa," said Senerita Auvaa, whose family survived the tsunami despite their American Samoan village being completely destroyed.

"There are no more houses," she said.

One family member, who was on a different part of the island, remains missing, Auvaa said. "We're hoping it's just bad communication."

With help from a local television station, Auvaa and others said they plan to collect school supplies, hygiene kits and medical supplies. The Samoan government has agreed, she said, to ship a crate of donations from Utah to the islands, speeding up a process that would have otherwise been heavily delayed by the disaster.

"We think this is the best help we can give our people back home," she said. "It's going to be a continuing effort. It's not going to be a one-time thing."

Auvaa said supplies could be dropped off at a volunteer's home at 3640 Silverado Drive.

June Lavatai, whose parents live in American Samoa and survived the disaster, said she is collecting supplies at Salt Lake Community College campuses, as well as at Wal-Mart and Albertsons locations in West Valley City.

Katoa, meanwhile, looked to ease the fears of the state's 6,100-plus member Samoan community, noting relief groups from countries across the world were already in action.

"They're at the front, on the ground already," he said.

Katoa asked relatives to check the Red Cross Web site for family members' names and add them to the list of survivors if they had been in contact.

"It is critical for the search," he said, adding, "Just because their name is not on that list does not mean they are missing."

Contributing: Faroe Robinson

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com