[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 46 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF THE U.S. TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SHERWOOD BOEHLERT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 18, 2005

  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today (along with my colleague Mr. 
Inslee from Washington State) to introduce the U.S. Tsunami Warning and 
Education Act of 2005. On December 26 of last year, we all watched with 
horror and complete bewilderment as a massive tsunami swept across the 
Indian Ocean Basin ravaging 11 nations, killing more than 150,000 
people, and affecting the day-to-day lives of millions.
  This event was a wake up call for coastal communities around the 
world, and certainly for coastal communities in the U.S. While the U.S. 
does have a tsunami detection and warning system in the Pacific, this 
event forced us to reexamine that system and we found that most of the 
vulnerable communities in the U.S. are not adequately protected or 
prepared for a similar event.
  The Administration responded quickly to the Indian Ocean Tsunami with 
a proposal in January to strengthen and expand the current U.S. tsunami 
detection and warning system. The Science Committee took the lead in 
Congress and held a hearing on the Administration's proposal and heard 
from experts who expressed some concerns about the Administration's 
proposal and had numerous recommendations to improve it.
  We took the Administration's proposal and the comments from many 
experts and developed the U.S. Tsunami Warning and Education Act. The 
bill would authorize $30 million a year for 30 years for the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to: strengthen the current 
tsunami detection system in the Pacific and expand it to the Atlantic 
Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico regions; conduct a community-
based tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve preparedness of at-
risk areas; maintain a dedicated tsunami research program; and provide 
technical assistance and training to the international community on the 
development of a global tsunami detection and warning system.
  While tsunamis are going to continue to threaten our coasts, this 
legislation ensures that we can be better prepared through early 
detection, instant warnings, and an educated population.

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