Inouye-Stevens Bill to Modernize Nation's Tsunami Warning System Unanimously Approved by Commerce Committee

Inouye-Stevens Bill to Modernize Nation's Tsunami Warning System Unanimously Approved by Commerce Committee

Improvements expand upon system Senators helped establish in 1994

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today unanimously approved the "Tsunami Preparedness Act of 2005" (S. 50) introduced by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). The legislation aims to upgrade and modernize the nation's tsunami warning and mitigation capabilities.

"Our legislation will ensure the establishment of a more robust and reliable tsunami warning system that can provide maximum detection capability for the nation," said Sen. Inouye, co-chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. "Both Hawaii and Alaska have seen significant economic damage from tsunami within the last century, so Senator Stevens and I are keenly aware of how important it is that we have first-rate tsunami detection and warning capabilities."

The bill, which has 23 Senate co-sponsors, authorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to improve detection and warning capabilities, develop a federal-state hazard mitigation program, expand tsunami research, and consistently upgrade and maintain the improved system, which would cover the Pacific and Atlantic-Caribbean-Gulf of Mexico regions. The bill authorizes $35 million annually between 2006 and 2012 to fund the effort, and it also directs NOAA to assist the international community in its efforts to establish an international warning system.

As revised by the Committee, the bill includes a new section aimed at improving coastal community preparedness for all coastal hazards, whether hurricane, tsunami, sea level rise, or coastal flooding events. The new section authorizes NOAA to fund three regional pilot projects that integrate federal, state, and local hazard preparedness and response programs for a variety of coastal hazards that will meet local needs and serve as models for the nation.

Inouye and Stevens first collaborated on a tsunami warning system in 1994, when they directed NOAA to develop a tsunami hazard mitigation program. The program established through this effort laid the technological foundation for the nation's tsunami preparedness.

"Senator Inouye and I have worked for some time on the Appropriations Committee to establish and fund a tsunami hazard mitigation program in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other tsunami monitoring initiatives," said Sen. Stevens, chairman of the Commerce Committee. "Critical for any warning system is the appropriate outreach and education programs to inform potentially tsunami-impacted communities and for these coastal areas to plan accordingly -- our legislation will do that. The bill provides for active U.S. participation in the creation of a Global Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Network consistent with the U.S. led international effort to establish a Global Earth Observation System of Systems. I am pleased that this bill has the support of our committee and will soon be ready for the Senate's consideration."

The catastrophic December 26th tsunami that savaged the countries bordering the Indian Ocean served as a horrifying reminder of the destructive potential of seismic activity in the earth's oceans. And while the U.S. has had tsunami detection capabilities dating back to 1949, the recent catastrophe underscored the need for a more robust, reliable, and well-maintained system.

"At our Commerce hearing last month, it was made abundantly clear that our system is in need of repair, expansion, and modernization, and our legislation does just that," Sen. Inouye said. "According to NOAA, the population in coastal counties is expected to increase by approximately 7 million by the year 2008. With more Americans flocking to our shores, we need to help managers plan and prepare for their protection from harm - from tsunami to coastal storms."

http://commerce.senate.gov/newsroom/printable.cfm?id=233259