[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5181-5182]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TSUNAMI AWARENESS MONTH

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 131, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 131) designating April 2011 as 
     ``Tsunami Awareness Month.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr President, today I rise in support of my resolution 
designating April 2011 as Tsunami Awareness Month.
  The recent events in Japan serve as a reminder of the importance of 
tsunami preparedness and mitigation. As we recently saw, tsunamis can 
strike at any time, continue for hours, wash away homes, buildings, and 
roads, and claim thousands of lives. Deadly tsunamis have struck 
Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, American Samoa, Puerto 
Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands within the last 150 years. 
All coastline communities in the United States are at risk of being 
impacted by tsunamis.
  Sixty-five years ago, my home State of Hawaii experienced the most 
devastating and destructive tsunami in its history, which claimed the 
lives of 159 individuals. Hawaii's geographic location in the middle of 
the Pacific Ocean makes us extremely vulnerable to tsunamis because 80 
percent of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific.
  To encourage citizens to educate themselves on tsunami preparedness, 
President Obama has designated March 20-26, 2011, as Tsunami Awareness 
Week. For the month of April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service in Hawaii will conduct 
activities to raise public awareness of the dangers of tsunamis and 
commemorate the lives lost to the April 1, 1946 tsunami. Additionally, 
Hawaii State and local officials have partnered with NOAA to develop a 
Tsunami Safety Booklet to educate school-aged children about the 
dangers of tsunamis, and they plan to distribute the booklets and other 
preparedness materials at sponsored events.
  I encourage all citizens to observe Tsunami Awareness Month and 
prepare for tsunamis by finding out if their homes, schools, and 
workplaces are in areas likely to flood should a tsunami occur; 
identifying evacuation routes; and preparing portable disaster supply 
kits. Additional information about tsunami preparedness can be found at 
TsunamiReady (www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov).
  As Congress continues debates about cuts to the Federal budget, I 
remind my colleagues of the importance of federal funding for tsunami 
programs.
  Funding for NOAA tsunami program supports warning, mitigation, and 
research activities that are critical to our Nation's safety and 
security. The NOAA operates two tsunami warning centers, the Pacific 
Tsunami Warning Center at Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and the West Coast and 
Alaska Tsunami Warning Center at Palmer, Alaska. Through Deep-Ocean 
Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis stations, these Centers monitor an 
extensive network of deep sea buoys providing real-time information 
needed to detect and issue warnings for tsunamis generated in the 
Pacific Ocean.
  Furthermore, NOAA, in coordination with the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency and the United States Geological Survey, partners 
with all 29 coastal States, Territories and Commonwealths in the United 
States to reduce the impact of tsunamis through the National Tsunami 
Hazard Mitigation Program.
  These programs save lives. The House-passed continuing resolution 
would decrease funding for NOAA by approximately $450 million. Funding 
increases in recent years have allowed NOAA to strengthen our Nation's 
tsunami warning capabilities by expanding the operating hours and 
geographic areas of responsibility for both tsunami warning centers. 
Making drastic cuts to the NOAA's budget would severely impair our 
Nation's ability to warn citizens of potential disasters. Maintaining 
this funding is critical.
  As Japan recovers from the deadly earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 
2011, I continue to pledge my support for the people of Japan and keep 
all those affected by this tragedy in my thoughts and prayers.
  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and that any statements relating to the matter be printed in 
the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 131) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 131

       Whereas a tsunami is a series of ocean or sea waves 
     generated by a sea floor disturbance, such as an earthquake, 
     landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite;
       Whereas a tsunami could occur during any season and at any 
     time;
       Whereas a tsunami is a threat to life and property for all 
     coastal communities, and tsunamis have caused serious 
     injuries and millions of dollars in property damage in the 
     United States;
       Whereas the danger posed by a tsunami cannot be eliminated, 
     but the impact of a tsunami can be mitigated through 
     community preparedness, timely warnings, and effective 
     response;
       Whereas tsunamis historically have posed the greatest 
     hazard to Hawaii, Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington, 
     American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
     Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the 
     Virgin Islands, tsunamis also pose risks to all ocean coasts 
     of the United States;
       Whereas Federal, State, and local officials have partnered 
     to coordinate a national effort to reduce the impact of 
     tsunamis through the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation 
     Program;
       Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration's National Weather Service operates 2 tsunami 
     warning centers, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and the

[[Page 5182]]

     West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, that detect 
     potential tsunamis and issue warnings;
       Whereas Tsunami Awareness Month provides an opportunity to 
     highlight the importance of tsunami preparedness and to 
     encourage the people of the United States to take steps to be 
     better prepared for tsunamis at home, work, and school;
       Whereas the people of the United States can prepare for 
     tsunamis by finding out if their home, school, workplace or 
     other frequently visited locations are in tsunami hazard 
     areas, and by identifying evacuation routes; and
       Whereas additional information about tsunami preparedness 
     may be obtained through TsunamiReady at National Oceanic and 
     Atmospheric Administration, at www.tsunamiready.noaa.gov: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 2011 as ``Tsunami Awareness Month''; 
     and
       (2) encourages the Federal Government, States, localities, 
     schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and other 
     applicable entities, along with the people of the United 
     States, to observe Tsunami Awareness Month with appropriate 
     events and activities to promote tsunami preparedness.

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