( CNN ) -- Survivors of a deadly earthquake-triggered tsunami which hit the Samoan islands Tuesday have described how they watched the inrushing sea swallow up coastal towns and villages leaving devastation in its wake . iReporter Alden Tagarino captured this image of the damage caused by the tsunami in Pago Pago . At least 111 people are confirmed killed in Samoa , neighboring American Samoa and Tonga . But officials in the Polynesia region have expressed fears the toll will rise as rescue workers struggle to reach outlying villages submerged and flattened by the wave . American Samoa resident Frances Faumatu told CNN she had fled to Aoloau , the highest village on the island , as the earthquake shook her house . `` All of a sudden we heard on the radio everybody had to run for safety , '' she said . `` Right after the quake , the tsunami came . '' Faumatu and others stayed on the mountain for two or three hours until the warning was lifted , watching as the sea swallowed Pago Pago , island 's capital , and then receded . At least 22 people are confirmed dead in the U.S. island territory . Cars , debris , and parts of buildings were randomly strewn over the landscape where the powerful waters dropped them . See iReporter images of the aftermath » . But in some cases , the sea left nothing behind . `` Other villages were taken to the ocean , '' Faumatu said . `` I ca n't even compare the image . It 's one thing to see a photo or footage , but just to be there in person is pretty dramatic , '' Maneafaiga T. Lagafuaina told CNN Wednesday . `` American Samoa itself is experiencing a great loss . '' The 8.0-magnitude quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early Tuesday . In Samoa , the death toll stands at 82 , according to government minister Maulolo Tavita . But he said he feared the number of causalities would continue to rise . Around 220,000 people live on the two main islands which make up the nation of Samoa . The population of American Samoa is about 66,000 . See a map of the affected region » . Salamo Laumoli , director of health services at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center in Pago Pago , said he feared more fatalities would turn up as rescue workers strived to access parts of the island severed by damaged infrastructure . `` I thought it was the end of the world , '' said Laumoli . `` I have never felt an earthquake like that before . '' Patients at the hospital were briefly moved to higher ground , but they were soon brought back and the hospital is operating , the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency said . The airport in the capital of Pago Pago was also operational and being used for emergency flights , FEMA said . A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 cargo plane was scheduled to land Wednesday around noon Eastern time , which coincides with sunrise in the Pacific U.S. protectorate , said Craig Fugate , FEMA administrator . A second C-130 was scheduled to land around 5 p.m . ET . `` The wave came onshore and washed out people 's homes , '' said Cinta Brown , an American Samoa homeland security official working at the island 's emergency operations center . The same happened on the hard-hit east and west sides of American Samoa , said Brown , who was standing in a parking lot when her sport utility vehicle began rocking left and right . She said she could hear the rattling of metal of a large chain-link fence around the lot . `` It shakes you because you know something else is coming , '' she said . The British Foreign Office said one of the dead in American Samoa was a British national , but no other details were provided . In Tonga , Lord Tuita , the acting prime minister , said at least seven people had been confirmed dead on the northern island of Niuatoputapu . Three others were missing and four people were being treated for serious injuries , he said . `` The hospital on the island is reported to have suffered major damage ; telephone communications has been cut as a result of damage to equipment and facilities on the island ; homes and government buildings have been destroyed ; the airport runway has been severely damaged making it impossible for any fixed wing aircraft to land , '' a statement from the Tongan prime minister 's office said . Were you there ? Send us your photos and video . A series of aftershocks reverberated through the region Tuesday as reports emerged of entire villages flattened or submerged by the tsunami . The walls of water were so strong that they twisted concrete beams and mangled cars . See an explainer on tsunamis » . Laumoli said people in outlying villages on one end of the main American Samoa island had been cut off because the connecting bridge was washed away . Listen to Laumoli speak about the impact of the quake and tsunami » . American Samoa Gov . Togiola Tulafono , speaking from Hawaii , said Tuesday 's quake ranked `` right up there with some of the worst '' disasters on the island . He said he had spoken to the military about mobilizing reserve forces for assistance . Tulafono was on his way back home from Hawaii on Tuesday night on one of two U.S. Coast Guard transport planes delivering aid . He told reporters Tuesday it had been hard being away from home as the disaster unfolded . It was a time , he said , for families to be together . Watch American Samoa governor discuss tsunami » . President Obama declared American Samoa a major disaster area , ordering federal aid to supplement local efforts . `` We keep the many people who have been touched by this tragedy in our thoughts and in our prayers , '' he said . A U.S. Defense Department official said 75 members of the Hawaii National Guard were ordered to American Samoa to begin assisting with medical relief , search and rescue and providing communications capabilities on the island . The unit will bring enough supplies to sustain themselves for 96 hours and its expected more aid from the military could begin flowing in , the official said . The Coast Guard is transporting more than 20 officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to American Samoa , said John Hamill , external affairs officer for FEMA in Oakland , California . The FEMA team will include a variety of debris experts , housing experts , members of the Corps of Engineers , and other disaster relief specialists , Hamill said . The quake generated three separate tsunami waves , the largest measuring 5.1 feet from sea level height , said Vindell Hsu , a geophysicist with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center . Preliminary data had originally reported a larger tsunami . CNN 's Barbara Starr , Augie Martin , Mariano Castillo , Moni Basu , Tess Eastment , Jim Kavanagh , Mike Ahlers , Hank Bishop and Nick Valencia contributed to this report .
At least 111 dead in Samoan islands and Tonga after Pacific tsunami . Officials fear death toll will rise as rescue workers reach outlying visitors . Score: 6 Hawaii National Guard troops being sent on relief operation .