[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 18 (Thursday, February 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1670-S1672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CORZINE:
  S. 452. A bill to provide for the establishment of national and 
global tsunami warning systems and to provide assistance for the relief 
and rehabilitation of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami and for the 
reconstruction of tsunami-affected countries; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation, 
the Tsunami Early Warning and Relief Act, to significantly decrease 
losses in the event of a future tsunami anywhere in the world. This 
bill would direct the

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, to establish and 
administer a Global Tsunami Disaster Reduction Program, based on the 
successful program which NOAA operates in the Pacific Ocean.
  I traveled to South and Southeast Asia in the wake of last year's 
Indian Ocean tsunami that led to the death of more than 160,000 people 
and a widespread humanitarian crisis. What I witnessed in Indonesia, 
Thailand and Sri Lanka was the most incredible destruction I have ever 
seen. I can only imagine that the devastation from the tsunami rivals 
Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the level of sheer destruction, damage, 
displacement and loss of life.
  Around the world, and right here in the United States, highly 
populated coastal areas are vulnerable to potential devastation on the 
scale of the Indian Ocean tsunami. As we continue to assist our South 
Asian friends in their reconstruction effort, we must also do 
everything in our ability to reduce human, ecological and economic 
damage in the event of another tsunami. We cannot allow such a natural 
disaster to separate families, orphan children and destroy livelihoods 
once again.
  There is no magic solution. Coastal areas, by nature, will face 
significant damage if a tsunami strikes. However, an advance warning 
would go a long way to reduce the loss of life in particular. Had 
governments in South Asia been able to inform their citizens of the 
approaching tsunami, tourists would not have been tanning on the beach 
and coastal markets would not have been obliviously going about their 
everyday business. While they would not have been perfect, rudimentary 
coastal evacuations could have taken place--and as a result we would 
not see the awful human cost that I witnessed this January.
  We currently operate an effective warning system in the Pacific 
Ocean, which warns our citizens and coastal governments about potential 
tsunami threats faced in Hawaii, Alaska and West Coast states. This 
system utilizes a sophisticated network of buoys in the Pacific Ocean 
that monitor rising and falling water levels. Using this data, and 
seismic observation of the ocean floor, NOAA is able to adequately 
assess the threat posed to coastal residents by natural activity in the 
Pacific and inform emergency service agencies in regions that face 
imminent threats.
  The Tsunami Early Warning and Relief Act would expand NOAA's 
successful Pacific tsunami monitoring and communications program to the 
Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Indian Ocean, and other areas around the 
world that are vulnerable to tsunamis. Furthermore, this legislation 
expands NOAA's Tsunami Ready Program, which disseminates tsunami 
communications to coastal communities and coordinates evacuation 
strategies for these regions.
  In conclusion, expansion of tsunami warning and readiness programs 
are critical to the lives and livelihoods of coastal residents in the 
United States and around the world. For all of us, the devastating 
aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami is a call to action that we must 
improve our reflexes when it comes to tsunamis. I urge my colleagues to 
consider this legislation, and other tsunami warning systems proposed 
by my colleagues, and to move forward as quickly as possible so that we 
never again have to see the devastation, death, broken families and 
orphaned children that we see right now in South Asia.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the Tsunami Early Warning 
and Relief Act be a printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 452

       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 Early Warning and 
     Relief Act of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds the following:
       (1) A tremendous undersea earthquake near Sumatra, 
     Indonesia, created a tsunami whose devastation spread 
     throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Africa, 
     leading to the death of more than 160,000 people on December 
     26, 2004. As of February 4, 2005, more than 140,000 people 
     are still missing. The tsunami-affected countries include 
     Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Seychelles, 
     Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
       (2) The tsunami resulted in massive destruction affecting 
     millions of people who now require a great amount of short-
     term survival assistance and long-term rehabilitation and 
     reconstruction assistance.
       (3) Compared to past disasters, the Indian Ocean earthquake 
     and tsunami led to historic destruction of the social service 
     infrastructure, businesses, and livelihoods. The devastation 
     caused by the tsunami has resulted in many separated families 
     and countless unaccompanied and orphaned children.
       (4) An effective global tsunami warning system is critical 
     for preventing future humanitarian disasters and for 
     protecting national security, since tsunamis occurring 
     anywhere around the globe could impact the United States at 
     home and United States national interests abroad.
       (5) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has 
     already built a system of tsunami buoys in the Pacific Ocean 
     which has been proven to provide critical information and 
     enhance the Nation's response to tsunamis. The National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has the technical 
     capability to upgrade and expand this system so that it 
     covers the entire globe and is integrated into larger ocean 
     observing efforts.
       (6) Consistent funding and international cooperation would 
     be needed to deploy a broader global tsunami warning system.
       (7) Effective local emergency management capabilities are 
     needed to relay tsunami warning information to coastal 
     communities and their residents.

                    TITLE I--TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEMS

     SEC. 101. GLOBAL PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce shall 
     establish a Global Tsunami Disaster Reduction Program within 
     the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the 
     establishment of a tsunami warning system to protect 
     vulnerable areas around the world, including Atlantic Ocean, 
     Carribean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean 
     Sea, and European areas.
       (b) International Cooperation.--The Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the Director of the National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration, shall work with foreign countries 
     that would benefit from the warning system described in 
     subsection (a), and through international organizations, for 
     the purposes of--
       (1) sharing costs;
       (2) sharing relevant data;
       (3) sharing technical advice for the implementation of 
     dissemination and evacuation plans; and
       (4) ensuring that the Global Earth Observation System of 
     Systems program has access to and shares openly all relevant 
     information worldwide.

     SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES TSUNAMI READY PROGRAM.

       The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration shall work with coastal communities throughout 
     the United States to build upon local coastal and ocean 
     observing capabilities, improve abilities to disseminate 
     tsunami information and prepare evacuation plans according to 
     the requirements of the Tsunami Ready program of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and encourage more 
     communities to participate in the program.

     SEC. 103. SEISMIC ACTIVITY MONITORING.

       The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration shall coordinate with the United States 
     Geological Survey and the Department of State to work with 
     other countries to enhance the monitoring, through the Global 
     Seismic Network (GSN), of seismic activities that could lead 
     to tsunamis, to support the programs described in sections 
     101 and 102.

     SEC. 104. ANNUAL REPORT.

       The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration shall transmit an annual report to Congress on 
     progress in carrying out this title.

     SEC. 105. DEFINITION.

       For purposes of this title, the term ``United States'' 
     means the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
     Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, 
     and any other commonwealth, territory, or possession of the 
     United States.

     SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
     Commerce for carrying out this title--
       (1) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (2) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and for each 
     subsequent fiscal year.

    TITLE II--RELIEF, REHABILITATION, AND RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE 
                    RELATING TO INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI

     SEC. 201. ASSISTANCE.

       (a) Authorization.--The President, acting through the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, is authorized to provide assistance for--
       (1) the relief and rehabilitation of individuals who are 
     victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami; and
       (2) the reconstruction of the infrastructures of countries 
     affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, including Indonesia, 
     Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Seychelles, Bangladesh, 
     Burma, Malaysia, Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania.
       (b) Terms and Conditions.--Assistance under this section 
     may be provided on such

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     terms and conditions as the President may determine.

     SEC. 202. REPORT.

       The President shall transmit to Congress, on a quarterly 
     basis in 2005, on a biannual basis in 2006, and as determined 
     to be appropriate by the President thereafter, a report on 
     progress in carrying out this title.

     SEC. 203. DEFINITION.

       In this title, the term ``Indian Ocean tsunami'' means the 
     tsunami that resulted from the earthquake that occurred off 
     the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on December 
     26, 2004.

     SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the President to 
     carry out this title such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 
     year 2006 and each subsequent fiscal year.
                                 ______