Religion, the governor said, is foremost on an island where there is a church or cross on nearly every block. "I think we need that so that people have time to reflect and to worship," he said.

Five days ago, a magnitude-8.0 earthquake and 10-foot waves hit Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga in the South Pacific, killing 176 people, leveling villages and causing millions in damage.

In American Samoa, damage assessments continued in the capital, Pago Pago, and nearby villages. Government officials planned to reopen all but four of the country's schools on Monday, said Josh Madfis of Save the Children, who arrived from Albuquerque four days ago. "It'll be fantastic to provide that structure and those routines that get kids back on track," he said. "There are some kids who have seen some pretty horrible things."

Throughout the weekend, volunteers wearing surgical masks and gloves worked to clear piles of debris. Workers at the Territorial Administration On Aging buildings tried to preserve enrollee timesheets, accounts payable vouchers, timecards. The files are mostly useless now, but they were stacked carefully outside. Fofoga Timoteo, 75, frequented the center to weave mats and baskets with her friends. She was swept away by the waves and did not survive, said one of her sons, the Rev. Petaia Timoteo of Trinity Samoan Congregational Church in Kalihi, Hawaii.

In Samoa, the tsunami pummeled the south coast of the country's main island, Upolu, washing away seaside villages and 20% of the country's tourist accommodations. Then came the wave of hotel cancellations, says Nynette Sass, CEO of the Samoa Hotels Association.

"If you want to help us, get on that plane and come visit Samoa," she said. "Cancellations will seem like a second tsunami."

Sass scoured the beach resorts for stranded tourists and employees within hours of the quake.

"I just broke down and cried," said Sass, who still weeps when she talks about it. She lost a close friend in the disaster.

"There was nothing standing," she said. "It was just matchsticks."

Tourism is the island's mainstay, Sass said. "All of Samoa will feel the impact," she said.

Leinwand reported from Washington. DePledge reports for The Honolulu Advertiser.

Enlarge By Rick Bowmer, AP A woman wipes her face during a service Sunday at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Leone, American Samoa, where a tsunami struck last week.