[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 156 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TSUNAMI READINESS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 7, 2005

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, today I shared the letter below from Admiral 
Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA), to all U.S. coastal governors as well as the 
governors of U.S. territories.
  During a recent radio broadcast, I heard a NOAA official state that 
it was not a question of if a tsunami would hit the United States, but 
when. The letter below from Admiral Lautenbacher confirms this 
statement.
  It is my hope that our coastal states will contact the NOAA National 
Weather Service state liaison to receive more information about NOAA's 
TsunamiReady program.
  It was only one year ago that the deadly tsunami struck Indonesia. We 
must not forget this tragedy and should remember how important it is to 
be prepared in the event of a natural disaster.
         United States Department of Commerce, the Under Secretary 
           of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere,
                                Washington, DC, November 22, 2005.
     Hon. Frank Wolf,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representative Wolf: Thank you for your recent inquiry 
     regarding the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's (NOAA) tsunami education and community 
     preparedness programs.
       All coastal communities in the United States are at some 
     risk. It is a matter of when, not if, a tsunami will strike. 
     The anniversary of the devastating Indonesian tsunami of 
     December 26, 2004, can serve as an opportunity to educate 
     residents of the United States about our vulnerability to 
     tsunamis, and help them minimize personal risk.
       Many lives can be saved during a tsunami if the community 
     and local emergency managers are educated and prepared. NOAA 
     has a ready-to-implement program available to coastal 
     communities called TsunamiReady. The TsunamiReady program 
     helps ensure a community is prepared--from understanding what 
     is a tsunami, to ensuring a warning notification system is in 
     place, and establishing evacuation routes and response 
     actions in case of a tsunami warning.
       One key to a successful warning program is public 
     notification. TsunamiReady uses NOAA Weather Radio All 
     Hazards (NWR) as one method to alert individuals when a 
     warning is issued. NOAA Weather Radio continuously broadcasts 
     National Weather Service forecasts, warnings, and other 
     crucial weather information. NOAA Weather Radios can be 
     programmed to receive information specific to a certain area, 
     and sounds an alarm to alert users to dangerous situations, 
     including tsunamis.
       For further information, please contact Kim Campbell 
     (Kimberly.C[email protected]), NOAA's National Weather Service 
     Performance and Awareness Branch Chief, at (301) 713-0462 
     extension 118, or the appropriate State Liaison office from 
     the enclosed list.
       We appreciate your ongoing interest in NOAA.
           Sincerely,
                                      Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.,
         Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Under Secretary of 
           Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.


   National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather 
                     Service State Liaison Offices

       Alaska: Anchorage, Robert Hopkins, Tel. 907-266-5117: 
     Juneau, Tom Ainsworth, Tel. 907-790-6804.
       Alabama: Birmingham, Jim Stefkovich, Tel. 205-664-7829.
       California: Sacramento, Elizabeth A. Morse, Tel. 916-979-
     3041.
       Connecticut: Boston, MA, Robert M. Thompson, Tel. 508-823-
     1900.
       Delaware: Philadelphia, PA, Gary Szatkowski, Tel. 609-261-
     6600.
       Florida: Tallahassee, Paul Duval, Tel. 850-942-8833.
       Georgia: Atlanta, Lans Rothfusz, Tel. 770-486-1133.
       Hawaii: Honolulu, James Weyman, Tel. 808-973-5270.
       Louisiana: New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Paul S. Trotter, Tel. 
     985-649-0357.
       Maine: Portland, Albert W. Wheeler, Tel. 207-688-3216.
       Maryland: Baltimore/Washington, James Lee, Tel. 703-260-
     0107.
       Massachusetts: Boston, Robert M. Thompson, Tel. 508-823-
     1900.
       Mississippi: Jackson, Alan Gerard, Tel. 601-936-2189.
       New Hampshire: Portland, ME, Albert W. Wheeler, Tel. 207-
     688-3216.
       New Jersey: Philadelphia, PA, Gary Szatkowski, Tel. 609-
     261-6600.
       New York: Albany, Eugene Auciello, Tel. 518-435-9580.
       North Carolina: Raleigh/Durham, Darin Figurskey, Tel. 919-
     515-8209.
       Oregon: Portland, Steve Todd, Tel. 503-261-9247.
       Rhode Island: Boston, MA, Robert M. Thompson, Tel. 508-823-
     1900.
       South Carolina: Charleston, Mike Emlaw, Tel. 843-744-3207.
       Texas: Austin/San Antonio, Joe Arelano, Tel. 830-629-0130.
       Virginia: Wakefield, Anthony Siebers, Tel. 757.899-4200.
       Washington: Seattle/Tacoma, Christopher D. Hill, Tel. 206-
     526-6095.
       Puerto Rico: San Juan, Israel Matos, Tel. 787-253-4586.
       Guam: Guam, Genevieve Miller, Tel. 671-472-0944.

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