HONOLULU -- Hawaii's Samoan community is having mixed reactions to an FBI investigation into possible government corruption in tsunami-ravaged Samoa.

CNN reported that beginning in 2003 the U.S. government sent millions of dollars to American Samoa in disaster preparedness grants to create a tsunami warning system.

However, that money went missing and the system was never built, KITV reported.

When a severe earthquake triggered a monster tsunami last month, the people of Samoa had no warning it was coming and 34 people were killed.

Samoa's former homeland security advisor said some of the money went missing.

He claimed the Samoan government used some of the funds to pay for extra personnel.

However, investigators found that the Samoan government used the emergency funds to pay for TVs, expensive leather furniture and government SUVs.

So, the U.S. froze the funds for program.

Samoa's Gov. Togiola Tulafono said his hands have been tied ever since.

"All I am saying is we have tried to work with them and have tried to get partial releases and so far, that hasn't happened, said Tulafono.

But federal officials countered his statement saying the U.S. stopped the funding after Samoa refused to pay back some of the misused money.

The controversy is splitting Hawaii's Samoan community.

The police union's Tenari Ma'afala lost two family members in the tsunami and said if the reports are true he's angered and embarrassed for the Samoan community.

Gus Hannemann has been involved in the Samoan government for 20 years.

"I don't want my Samoan people here to feel embarrassed," said Hannemann. "Our people didn't do anything wrong. Nobody gained from it. The fact is, that they froze the funds and I think the responsibility should have been on the federal government. It's not fair to my people. It's not fair to the government. And it's not right."