WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress this week approved the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (H.R. 1674), which would expand and strengthen the nation’s tsunami detection and warning system. The bill was patterned on S. 50, legislation authored by Senate Commerce Committee Co-Chairmen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) after the devastating Indonesian tsunami in December 2004.  The bill provides needed structure, authorities, and funding for the program, which would be operated and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The measure now moves on to the president for his consideration.

 

 

“Protecting human life and property from natural disasters requires the ability to detect and forecast events that offer very little warning and then communicate that information rapidly, so communities can respond quickly and evacuate if necessary,” said Co-chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Daniel K. Inouye,(D-Hawaii). “This bill builds on our existing capabilities to establish a tsunami early warning system in the Pacific. We must ensure that the appalling tragedy left in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami never again occurs,” he said.

 

The expanded detection and warning system would cover not only the highly vulnerable Pacific region, but would also expand it to the Atlantic-Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico region, using deep ocean detection buoys, tide and water-level gauges and a coordinated seismic detection network. The bill also includes important requirements to ensure the improved system remains robust, including measures requiring certification of detection and monitoring equipment and accountability for contractor acquisition and maintenance activities.

 

The bill also authorizes a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation program headed by NOAA to improve tsunami preparedness for at-risk areas through research and education, in coordination with affected states. The bill establishes a federal-state coordinating committee for the program and pulls from the expertise of NOAA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as affected coastal states and territories.

 

Finally, prompted by the devastating effects of the Indonesian tsunami, the bill includes provisions to improve international tsunami warning and detection, directing NOAA and its partners to provide technical assistance and training to the International Oceanographic Commission and other international entities tasked with improving the global tsunami warning system.  As part of this effort, NOAA would operate an International Tsunami Information Center to increase preparedness in the Pacific region.

 

The bill authorizes annual appropriations to NOAA of $25 million in fiscal year 2008, increasing to $29 million for fiscal year 2012.