 The was en route to American Samoa and was the first U.S. military asset to arrive and assist in the recovery efforts.Samoa evacuated people from the entire city of Apia, the country's capital city on the island of Upolu and moving thousands of residents to higher ground.Journalist Cherelle Jackson reported that the city quickly emptied in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, "All the schools, workplaces everyone has walked up – it's like a ghost town."