PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – Carleton College alum and four-year basketball player Bobby Schmitz ’09 is among the survivors of the powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves that washed ashore on Somoa and American Somoa.

The tsunami flattened villages and swept cars and people out to sea, killing at least 99 on and leaving dozens missing on the small Pacific Ocean islands. The toll is expected to rise.

Schmitz, 23, is from Hastings, moved to American Samoa in July as part of a year-long World Teach program. He's teaching high school chemistry and physics. But he hadn't yet made it to class Tuesday morning when his house shook from the earthquake's tremors.

Several hours passed before his family finally learned Bobby had made it to higher ground.

"When you hear the possibility your child could be in serious danger you practically faint," Shelly Schmitz said about her son Bobby.

"He called on someone else's cell because his was dead, and let us know he was O.K., and there was food and water," Shelly Schmitz said. "So that was a relief."

   Survivors of the South Pacific islands tsunami fled the fast-churning water for higher ground and remained huddled there hours after the quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn Tuesday.

The quake was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Samoa, an island nation of 180,000 people located about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. It was about 120 miles (190 kilometers) from neighboring American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people.

Four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet (4 to 6 meters) high roared ashore on American Samoa, reaching up to a mile (1.5 kilometers) inland, Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying by a parks service spokeswoman.

--- This article includes information gathered by the Associated Press and KARE TV-11. ---