Tsunami Preparedness Act - (Sec. 2) Sets forth the purposes of this Act, including improvement of tsunami detection, forecast, warnings, notification, preparedness, and mitigation in order to protect life and property both in the United States and elsewhere in the world.
(Sec. 3) Directs the Administrator of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to operate regional tsunami detection and warning systems for the Pacific Ocean region and for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico regions that will provide maximum detection capability for U.S. coastal tsunamis. Requires the Administrator to establish tsunami warning centers to provide a link between the detection and warning system and the tsunami hazard mitigation program established under this Act.
Directs the Administrator to maintain national and regionally-based data management systems to support and establish data management requirements for the tsunami detection and monitoring system.
(Sec. 4) Directs the Administrator to develop and conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve tsunami preparedness of at-risk areas.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Administrator to establish a tsunami research program to develop detection, prediction, communication, and mitigation science and technology that supports tsunami forecasts and warnings, including advanced sensing techniques, information and communication technology, data collection, analysis and assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical forecast modeling that will, among other things, help determine the likely path, severity, duration, and travel time of a tsunami. Requires the Administrator to investigate the potential for improved technology for tsunami and other hazard warnings by incorporating into the existing system a full range of options for providing such warnings to the public.
Requires the Administrator to investigate the potential for improved communications systems for tsunami and other hazard warnings by incorporating into the existing network a full range of options for providing those warnings to the public, including telephones, the Internet, automatic alert televisions and radios, and other technologies that may be developed.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Administrator to take certain actions to upgrade and modernize the U.S. tsunami detection and warning system. Requires the Administrator to report annually to Congress on the status of the tsunami detection and warning system, as well as progress and accomplishments of the national tsunami hazard mitigation program.
(Sec. 7) Directs the Administrator to provide technical assistance and advice to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the World Meteorological Organization, the Group on Earth Observations, and other international entities as part of an international effort to develop a fully functional global tsunami warning system comprised of regional tsunami warning networks. Requires the Administrator to seek funding assistance from participating nations to ensure establishment of such warning system.
Requires the Administrator to operate an International Tsunami Information Center to improve tsunami preparedness for all Pacific Ocean nations participating in the International Tsunami Warning System of the Pacific, and which may also provide such assistance to other nations participating in a global tsunami warning system established through the International Oceanographic Committee of UNESCO.
(Sec. 8) Directs the Administrator to establish an integrated coastal vulnerability and adaptation program focused on improving the resilience of coastal communities to natural hazards and disasters.
Requires the Administrator to establish three regional pilot projects to assess the vulnerability of U.S. coastal areas to hazards associated with tsunami and other natural hazards or coastal disasters. Directs the Administrator to submit to Congress regional adaptation plans based on the information contained in the regional assessments that recommend appropriate targets and strategies.
(Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2012.
[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 50 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
1st Session
S. 50
To authorize and strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's tsunami detection, forecast, warning, and mitigation
program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 24, 2005
Mr. Inouye (for himself, Mr. Stevens, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Burns, Mr.
Lautenberg, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Akaka, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Clinton, Mr.
Smith, and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize and strengthen the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's tsunami detection, forecast, warning, and mitigation
program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tsunami Preparedness Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
(1) Tsunami are a series of large waves of long wavelength
created by the displacement of water by violent undersea
disturbances such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
landslides, explosions, and the impact of cosmic bodies.
(2) Tsunami have caused, and can cause in the future,
enormous loss of human life, injury, destruction of property,
and economic and social disruption in coastal and island
communities.
(3) While 85 percent of tsunami occur in the Pacific Ocean,
and coastal and island communities in this region are the most
vulnerable to the destructive results, tsunami can occur at any
point in any ocean or related body of water where there are
earthquakes, volcanoes, or any other activity that displaces a
large volume of water.
(4) A number of States and territories are subject to the
threat of tsunamis, including Alaska, California, Hawaii,
Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S.
Virgin Islands.
(5) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is
responsible for maintaining a tsunami detection and warning
system for the Nation, issuing warnings to United States
communities at risk from tsunami, and preparing those
communities to respond appropriately, through--
(A) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa
Beach, Hawaii, which serves as a warning center for
Hawaii, all other United States assets in the Pacific,
and Puerto Rico;
(B) the Alaska/West Coast Tsunami Warning Center in
Palmer, Alaska, which is responsible for issuing
warnings for Alaska, British Columbia, California,
Oregon, and Washington;
(C) the Federal-State national tsunami hazard
mitigation program;
(D) a tsunami research and assessment program,
including programs conducted by the Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory;
(E) the TsunamiReady Program, which educates and
prepares communities for survival before and during a
tsunami; and
(F) other related programs.
(6) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
also represents the United States as a member of the
International Coordination Group for the Tsunami Warning System
in the Pacific, administered by the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, for which the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center acts as the operational center and
shares seismic and water level information with 26 member
states, and maintains UNESCO's International Tsunami
Information Center, in Honolulu, Hawaii, which provides
technical and educational assistance to member states.
(7) The Tsunami Warning Centers receive seismographic
information from the Global Seismic Network, an international
system of earthquake monitoring stations, from the United
States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information
Center, and from cooperative regional seismic networks, and use
these data to issue tsunami warnings and integrate the
information with data from their own tidal and deep ocean
monitoring stations, to cancel or verify the existence of a
damaging tsunami. Warnings are disseminated by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to State emergency
operation centers.
(8) Current gaps in the International Tsunami Warning
System, such as the lack of regional warning systems in the
Indian Ocean, the southwest Pacific Ocean, Central and South
America, the Mediterranean Sea, and Caribbean, pose risks for
coastal and island communities.
(9) The tragic and extreme loss of life experienced by
countries in the Indian Ocean following the magnitude 9.0
earthquake and resulting tsunami in that region on December 26,
2004, illustrates the destructive consequences which can occur
in the absence of an effective tsunami warning and notification
system.
(10) An effective tsunami warning and notification system
is part of a multi-hazard disaster warning and preparedness
program and requires near real-time seismic, sea level, and
oceanographic data, high-speed data analysis capabilities, a
high-speed tsunami warning communication system, a sustained
program of education and risk assessment, and an established
local communications infrastructure for timely and effective
dissemination of warnings to activate evacuation of tsunami
hazard zones.
(11) The Tsunami Warning System for the Pacific is a model
for other regions of the world to adopt, and can be expanded
and modernized to increase detection, forecast, and warning
capabilities for vulnerable states and territories, reduce the
incidence of costly false alarms, improve reliability of measurement
and assessment technology, and increase community preparedness.
(12) Tsunami warning and preparedness capability can be
developed in other vulnerable areas of the world, such as the
Indian Ocean, by identifying tsunami hazard zones, educating
populations, developing alert and notification communications
infrastructure, and by deploying near real-time tsunami
detection sensors and gauges, establishing hazard communication
and warning networks, expanding global monitoring of seismic
activity, encouraging the increased exchange of seismic and
tidal data between nations, and improving international
coordination when a tsunami is detected.
(13) UNESCO has recognized the need to establish tsunami
warning systems for regions beyond the Pacific Basin that are
vulnerable to tsunami, including the Indian Ocean, and has
convened a working group to lead an effort to expand the
International Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific to such
vulnerable regions.
(14) The international community and all vulnerable nations
should take coordinated efforts to establish and participate in
regional tsunami warning systems and other hazard warnings
systems developed to meet the goals of the United Nations
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to improve tsunami detection, forecast, warnings,
notification, preparedness, and mitigation in order to protect
life and property both in the United States and elsewhere in
the world;
(2) to improve and modernize the existing Pacific Tsunami
Warning System to increase coverage, reduce false alarms and
increase accuracy of forecasts and warnings, and expand
detection and warning systems to include other vulnerable
States and United States territories, including the Caribbean/
Atlantic/Gulf region;
(3) to increase and accelerate mapping, modeling, research,
assessment, education, and outreach efforts in order to improve
forecasting, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery
of tsunami and related coastal hazards;
(4) to provide technical and other assistance to speed
international efforts to establish regional tsunami warning
systems in vulnerable areas worldwide, including the Indian
Ocean; and
(5) to improve Federal, State, and international
coordination for tsunami and other coastal hazard warnings and
preparedness.
SEC. 3. TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING SYSTEM.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall operate regional tsunami detection and
warning systems for the Pacific Ocean region and for the Atlantic
Ocean, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico region that will provide maximum
detection capability for United States coastal tsunami.
(b) System Requirements.--
(1) Pacific system.--The Pacific tsunami warning system
shall cover the entire Pacific Ocean area, including the
Western Pacific, the Central Pacific, the North Pacific, the
South Pacific, and the East Pacific and Arctic areas.
(2) Atlantic, caribbean, and gulf of mexico system.--The
Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf system shall cover areas of the
Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico that the
Administrator determines--
(A) to be geologically active, or to have
significant potential for geological activity; and
(B) to pose measurable risks of tsunamis for States
along the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean or the
Gulf of Mexico.
(3) Components.--The systems shall--
(A) utilize an array of deep ocean detection buoys,
including redundant and spare buoys;
(B) include an associated tide gauge and water
level system designed for long-term continuous
operation tsunami transmission capability;
(C) provide for establishment of a cooperative
effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the United States Geological Survey
under which the Geological Survey provides rapid and
reliable seismic information to the Administration from
international and domestic seismic networks;
(D) provide for information and data processing
through the tsunami warning centers established under
subsection (c);
(E) be integrated into United States and global
ocean and earth observing systems; and
(F) provide a communications infrastructure for at-
risk tsunami communities that supports rapid and
reliable alert and notification to the public such as
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
weather radio and the All Hazard Alert Broadcasting
Radio.
(c) Tsunami Warning Centers.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish tsunami
warning centers to provide a link between the detection and
warning system and the tsunami hazard mitigation program
established under section 4 including--
(A) a Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii;
(B) a West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
in Alaska; and
(C) any additional warning centers determined by
the Administrator to be necessary.
(2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of each tsunami
warning center shall include--
(A) continuously monitoring data from
seismological, deep ocean, and tidal monitoring
stations;
(B) evaluating earthquakes that have the potential
to generate tsunami;
(C) evaluating deep ocean buoy data and tidal
monitoring stations for indications of tsunami
resulting from sources other than earthquakes; and
(D) disseminating information and warning bulletins
appropriate for local and distant tsunamis to
government agencies and the public and alerting
potentially impacted coastal areas for evacuation.
(d) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--In carrying
out this section, the Administrator shall--
(1) promulgate specifications and standards for forecast,
detection, and warning systems, including detection equipment;
(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer of
technology from ongoing research to long-term operations;
(3) ensure that detection equipment is maintained in
operational condition to fulfill the forecasting, detection and
warning requirements of the regional tsunami detection and
warning systems;
(4) obtain, to the greatest extent practicable, priority
treatment in budgeting for, acquiring, transporting, and
maintaining weather sensors, tide gauges, water level gauges,
and tsunami buoys incorporated into the system including
obtaining ship time; and
(5) ensure integration of the tsunami detection system with
other United States and global ocean and coastal observation
systems, the global earth observing system of systems, global
seismic networks, and the Advanced National Seismic System.
(e) Certification.--Amounts appropriated for any fiscal year
pursuant to section 8 to carry out this section may not be obligated or
expended for the acquisition of services for construction or deployment
of tsunami detection equipment unless the Administrator certifies in
writing to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Science
within 60 calendar days after the date on which the President submits
the Budget of the United States for that fiscal year to the Congress
that--
(1) each contractor for such services has met the
requirements of the contract for such construction or
deployment;
(2) the equipment to be constructed or deployed is capable
of becoming fully operational without the obligation or
expenditure of additional appropriated funds; and
(3) the Administrator does not reasonably foresee
unanticipated delays in the deployment and operational schedule
specified in the contract.
SEC. 4. TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct a community-based
tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve tsunami preparedness of
at-risk areas.
(b) Coordinating Committee.--In conducting the program, the
Administrator shall establish a coordinating committee comprising
representatives of--
(1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
(2) the United States Geological Survey;
(3) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(4) the National Science Foundation; and
(5) affected coastal States and territories.
(c) Program Components.--The program shall--
(1) improve the quality and extent of inundation mapping,
including assessment of vulnerable inner coastal areas;
(2) promote and improve community outreach and education
networks and programs to ensure community readiness, including
the development of multi-hazard risk and vulnerability
assessment training and decision support tools, implementation
of technical training and public education programs, and
provide for certification of prepared communities;
(3) integrate tsunami preparedness and mitigation programs
into ongoing hazard warning and risk management programs in
affected areas including the National Response Plan;
(4) promote the adoption of tsunami warning and mitigation
measures by Federal, State, tribal, and local governments and
non-governmental entities through a grant program for training,
development of guidelines, and other purposes;
(5) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the
lead agency, develop tsunami specific rescue and recovery
guidelines for the National Response Plan, including long-term
mitigation measures, educational programs to discourage
development in high-risk areas, and use of remote sensing and
other technology in rescue and recovery operations;
(6) require budget coordination, through the
Administration, to carry out the purposes of this Act and to
ensure that participating agencies provide necessary funds for
matters within their respective areas of authority and
expertise; and
(7) provide for periodic external review of the program and
for inclusion of the results of such reviews in the report
required by section 6(c).
SEC. 5. TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall, in coordination with other agencies
and academic institutions, establish a tsunami research program to
develop detection, prediction, communication, and mitigation science
and technology that supports tsunami forecasts and warnings, including
advanced sensing techniques, information and communication technology,
data collection, analysis and assessment for tsunami tracking and
numerical forecast modeling that will--
(1) help determine--
(A) whether an earthquake or other seismic event
will result in a tsunami; and
(B) the likely path, severity, duration, and travel
time of a tsunami;
(2) develop techniques and technologies that may be used to
communicate tsunami forecasts and warnings as quickly and
effectively as possible to affected communities;
(3) develop techniques and technologies to support
evacuation products, including real-time notice of the
condition of critical infrastructure along tsunami evacuation
routes for public officials and first responders; and
(4) develop techniques for utilizing remote sensing
technologies in rescue and recovery operations.
(b) Communications Technology.--The Administrator, in consultation
with the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information and the Federal Communications Commission, shall
investigate the potential for improved communications systems for
tsunami and other hazard warnings by incorporating into the existing
network a full range of options for providing those warnings to the
public, including, as appropriate--
(1) telephones, including special alert rings;
(2) wireless and satellite technology, including cellular
telephones and pagers;
(3) the Internet, including e-mail;
(4) automatic alert televisions and radios;
(5) innovative and low-cost combinations of such
technologies that may provide access to remote areas; and
(6) other technologies that may be developed.
SEC. 6. TSUNAMI SYSTEM UPGRADE AND MODERNIZATION.
(a) System Upgrades.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration shall--
(1) authorize and direct the immediate repair of existing
deep ocean detection buoys and related components of the
system;
(2) ensure the deployment of an array of deep ocean
detection buoys in the regions described in section 3(a) of
this Act;
(3) ensure expansion or upgrade of the tide gauge network
in the regions described in section 3(a); and
(4) complete the upgrades not later than December 31, 2007.
(b) Congressional Notifications.--The Administrator shall notify
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the
House of Representatives Committee on Science of--
(1) impaired regional detection coverage due to equipment
or system failures; and
(2) significant contractor failures or delays in completing
work associated with the tsunami detection and warning system.
(c) Annual Report.--The Administrator shall transmit an annual
report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
and the House of Representatives Committee on Science on the status of
the tsunami detection and warning system, including accuracy, false
alarms, equipment failures, improvements over the previous year, and
goals for further improvement (or plans for curing failures) of the
system, as well as progress and accomplishments of the national tsunami
hazard mitigation program.
(d) External Review.--The National Academy of Science shall review
the tsunami detection, forecast, and warning system operated by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under this Act to
assess further modernization and coverage needs, as well as long-term
operational reliability issues, taking into account measures
implemented under this Act, and transmit a report containing its
recommendations, including an estimate of the costs of implementing
those recommendations, to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on
Science within 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NETWORK.
(a) International Tsunami Warning System.--The Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in coordination with
other members of the United States Interagency Committee of the
National Tsunami Mitigation Program, shall provide technical assistance
and advice to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO,
the World Meteorological Organization, and other international
entities, as part of international efforts to develop a fully
functional global tsunami warning system comprised of regional tsunami
warning networks, modeled on the International Tsunami Warning System
of the Pacific.
(b) Detection Equipment; Technical Advice.--In carrying out this
section, the Administrator--
(1) shall give priority to assisting nations in identifying
vulnerable coastal areas, creating inundation maps, obtaining
or designing real-time detection and reporting equipment, and
establishing communication and warning networks and contact
points in each vulnerable nation; and
(2) may establish a process for transfer of detection and
communication technology to affected nations for the purposes
of establishing the international tsunami warning system.
(c) Data-Sharing Requirement.--The Administrator may not provide
assistance under this section for any region unless all affected
nations in that region participating in the tsunami warning network
agree to share relevant data associated with the development and
operation of the network.
(d) Receipt of International Reimbursement Authorized.--The
Administrator may accept payment to, or reimbursement of, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in cash or in kind from
international organizations and foreign authorities, or payment or
reimbursement made on behalf of such an authority, for expenses
incurred by the Administrator in carrying out any activity under this
Act. Any such payments or reimbursements shall be considered a
reimbursement to the appropriated funds of the Administration.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration $35,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2006 through 2012 to carry out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S237-238, S240-241)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S238-240)
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 109-93.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Stevens with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-59.
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Stevens with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 109-59.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 75.
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S7930-7936; text of measure as reported in Senate: CR S7930-7935)
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
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Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans.