[Senate Report 109-59]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
109th Congress
1st Session SENATE Report
109-59
_______________________________________________________________________
Calendar No. 75
TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS ACT
__________
R E P O R T
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. H.R. deg. 50
DATE deg.April 19, 2005.--Ordered to be printed
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred ninth congress
first session
TED STEVENS, Alaska, Chairman
DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii, Co-Chairman
JOHN McCAIN, Arizona JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West
CONRAD BURNS, Montana Virginia
TRENT LOTT, Mississippi JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts
KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine BARBARA BOXER, California
GORDON H. SMITH, Oregon BILL NELSON, Florida
JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
GEORGE ALLEN, Virginia FRANK LAUTENBERG, New Jersey
JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire E. BENJAMIN NELSON, Nebraska
JIM DeMINT, South Carolina MARK PRYOR, Arkansas
DAVID VITTER, Louisiana
Lisa Sutherland, Staff Director
Christine Drager Kurth, Deputy Staff Director
David Russell, Chief Counsel
Margaret Cummisky, Democratic Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Samuel Whitehorn, Democratic Deputy Staff Director and General Counsel
Calendar No. 75
109th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 109-59
======================================================================
TSUNAMI PREPAREDNESS ACT
_______
April 19, 2005.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Stevens, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 50]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 50) to authorize and strengthen
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's tsunami
detection, forecast, warning, and mitigation program, and for
other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon with an amendment (in the nature of a substitute) and
recommends that the bill (as amended) do pass.
PURPOSE OF THE BILL
The bill authorizes NOAA to establish, operate, and maintain
a dependable national tsunami warning system that would provide
maximum tsunami detection capability for the nation. The system
would build on the model established in the Pacific, and
provide for its repair, expansion and modernization by the
close of calendar year 2007. The system would include 4
components, i.e., (1) an expanded and upgraded detection and
warning system; (2) a Federal-State tsunami hazard mitigation
program; (3) a tsunami research program; and (4) a
modernization and upgrade program. In addition, the bill would
direct NOAA to provide any necessary technical or other
assistance to international efforts to establish regional
systems in other parts of the world, including the Indian
Ocean. The bill would authorize $35 million for each of fiscal
years 2006 through 2012 to carry out these activities.
BACKGROUND AND NEEDS
Tsunami are a fast-moving series of ocean waves generated by
the rapid displacement of a water column in the ocean. Such
displacement is usually caused by submarine geologic activity
such as volcanoes, earthquakes, or landslides. Variables
affecting the size and power of tsunami include the size and
speed of the seafloor displacement, the depth of the water
column above the displacement, the efficiency of the energy
transfer from the earth's crust to the water column, and the
shape of the shoreline and the seafloor along the coast where
the waves reach land.
Tsunami can travel across open oceans at great speeds,
sometimes over 600 miles per hour in very deep water. They can
be only a few inches high and many miles long. As tsunami enter
shallow water, their speed decreases and the wave height
increases. This ``shoaling effect'' creates a larger,
relatively slower wave that can cause massive damage in coastal
areas and low-lying inland regions. Tsunami often appear as a
rapidly moving tide, a series of breaking waves, or a bore wave
(a step-like wave with a steep breaking front). Tsunami rarely
cause high, breaking waves, which is what many people envision
``tidal waves'' look like. Behind the bore is a fast-moving
flood that is capable of carrying extremely large and heavy
pieces of debris. Strong tsunami-induced currents can lead to
erosion of foundations around coastal structures. Finally,
tsunami often result in significant loss of life.
At 7:58 a.m. on December 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake
occurred off the coast of northern Sumatra, the location of a
subduction zone in the Indian Ocean, where the India plate is
being pushed beneath the Burma plate. The rupture along the
plate boundary extended 1000 kilometers and the sea floor rose
several meters. This earthquake caused severe shaking near the
epicenter, and generated a large tsunami that struck the coasts
of Sumatra (within 30 minutes), Thailand (within 1.5 hours),
and India and Sri Lanka (within 2 hours). This massive tsunami
in the Indian Ocean ultimately took lives in more than 11
countries. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the
earthquake was the largest since the 9.2 magnitude Good Friday
Earthquake off Alaska in 1964, and tied for fourth largest
since 1900.
As of January 26, 2005, the Government of Indonesia's
Ministry of Health had 96,232 confirmed deaths and 132,197
persons missing and presumed dead. However, the exact number of
victims will likely never be known. Different reporting
practices for lost and dead persons by the governments in the
affected region and the use of mass graves to prevent the
outbreak of disease make an exact figure impossible to
calculate. The effects of the tsunami have been felt throughout
the region. In Sri Lanka, the Government of Sri Lanka's Center
for National Operations increased the official number of
displaced from 396,170 to 502,426. The Government of Indonesia
indicates that the earthquake and tsunami destroyed
approximately 127,000 houses and damaged another 151,000
houses--one-third of all housing in the area. UNICEF estimates
between 765 to 1151 schools were damaged or destroyed in
Indonesia.
According to the USGS, the subduction zones at the India and
Burma tectonic plates are similar to those throughout the
Pacific region and have the potential to create ``megathrust''
events where one tectonic plate is driven beneath another. The
Pacific is most vulnerable because it covers nearly one-third
of the earth's surface and is surrounded by a series of
mountain chains, deep-ocean trenches, and island arcs called
the ``ring of fire'' where most earthquakes occur (off the
coasts of Kamchatka, Japan, the Kuril Islands, Alaska, and
South America). USGS reports that the world's largest recorded
earthquakes have all been megathrust events, including the
magnitude 9.5 1960 Chile earthquake, the magnitude 9.2 1964
Prince William Sound, Alaska, earthquake, the magnitude 9.1
1957 Andreanof Islands, Alaska, earthquake, and the magnitude
9.0 1952 Kamchatka earthquake. Three of these tsunami-
generating earthquakes occurred in the Aleutian Islands (1946,
1957, and 1964) and caused significant damage and loss of life
in Alaska and Hawaii.
Other areas of the United States can be vulnerable to
tsunami. According to USGS, there is a 10 to 14 percent chance
of a similar earthquake and tsunami centered in the Cascadia
subduction zone off the coasts of Oregon and Northern
California within the next 50 years. If an earthquake did occur
in this region, coastal communities in Washington, Oregon, and
northern California could experience a local tsunami with no
more than 10 to 20 minutes of warning time. While tsunami are
less frequent in the Atlantic Ocean, there is a fault zone in
the Caribbean, and while it is not very seismically active, the
possibility for a tsunami does exist. In addition, an undersea
formation off the coast of the Canary Islands is being
monitored by scientists for stability. If the formation were to
collapse, an undersea landslide would result and trigger a
tsunami that could possibly travel across the Atlantic and
strike the east coast of the United States.
Providing sufficient warning is crucial for minimizing the
loss of life due to tsunami. The NOAA is responsible for
coordinating tsunami-related activities in the United States
and works closely with the USGS and the National Science
Foundation (NSF), which provide, respectively, seismographic
information and science and research capabilities. NOAA also
represents the United States as a member of the International
Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific, the only international
tsunami warning system, and hosts the operational center of the
international system at the National Weather Service offices in
Hawaii. The international system was established by the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) in 1965. While the system can detect earthquakes
through measurements taken through a global seismic network, it
has tsunami forecasting and warning capability only for
locations in the Pacific.
Tsunami preparedness requires adequate systems to address
detection and warning; research, education and preparedness;
hazard mitigation; and international participation and
cooperation. The United States tsunami warning program, first
established in 1948, is run by NOAA through 2 tsunami warning
centers, located in Hawaii and Alaska, which collate and
analyze seismic data from the USGS, sea level data from
numerous coastal monitoring stations, and pressure data from an
array of 6 Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami
(DART) buoys.
The 2 tsunami warning centers that serve the United States
and international systems are the Richard H. Hagemeyer Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center located in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and the
West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center located in Palmer,
Alaska. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is responsible for
tsunami warnings for Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and all
other United States interests in the Pacific. It also issues
warnings for regional and distant tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean
to almost every country around the Pacific Rim and to most
Pacific Island States that participate in the International
Tsunami Warning System in the Pacific. In 2003 the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Center began providing earthquake magnitude and
location data to Puerto Rico in the absence of a tsunami
warning center in the Atlantic. The Alaska Center issues
tsunami warnings for Alaska, British Columbia, Washington,
Oregon, and California.
Scientists at both warning centers continually monitor the
detection hardware (seismic sensors, sea level gauges and data
buoys) to determine whether a tsunami has been generated, its
potential magnitude, and where it will strike land. From these
evaluations, the warning centers determine whether a tsunami
warning is issued, continued, increased to cover a broader
area, or terminated. The United States tsunami detection system
measures seismic activity, sea level, tidal height, and wave
propagation after a seismic event. Seismic data and sea level
measurements from coastal tide stations alone cannot provide
direct verification that a destructive tsunami is propagating
across the Pacific toward distant coastal communities. These
limitations resulted in a large number of false alarms (75
percent rate in 1996), which undermined the credibility of the
system and incurred large evacuation costs. To improve accuracy
and reduce the number of false alarms, these stations have
increased in number and have been upgraded to provide real-time
reporting. NOAA operates roughly one hundred sea level gauges
in conjunction with other organizations in Japan, Russia,
Chile, France, and Australia. Today, 33 of the 175 continuously
operating NOAA water level stations in the Pacific have been
fitted with the software needed to support NOAA's tsunami
warning system.
In 2001, further improvements to distant tsunami forecasting
were instituted through full deployment of an array of 6 DART
buoys, developed by NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL). DART systems consist of a seafloor pressure
recorder and a moored surface buoy, which transmits the
recorded information via a Geostationary Operational
Environmental Satellite (GOES) link to ground stations which
disseminate the information to NOAA's Tsunami Warning Centers
and other offices. Of the 6 buoys deployed, 3 are located in
the North Pacific, south of the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian
Islands where they provide data on tsunamis headed toward
Hawaii and the United States West Coast, and two are off the
Washington and Oregon coast and provide data on tsunami
generated along the Cascadia subduction zone as well as those
moving toward Washington and Oregon from other areas of the
Pacific. The sixth buoy is deployed just south of the equator
in the eastern Pacific to provide readings of tsunami generated
in South America as they head toward Hawaii and the West Coast.
Another integral part of the tsunami warning system is the
National Earthquake Information Center operated by the USGS,
which sends out alerts to NOAA's tsunami warning centers based
on data received from the Global Seismographic Network (GSN).
The GSN consists of 130 international seismographic stations
around the world, operated by each host country, most of which
have real-time detection capability. The USGS network of
seismic sensors, known as ``Earthworm,'' can detect and
describe geologic events around the world, and in 1999, the
tsunami warning centers were tied into the USGS ``Earthworm,''
allowing for real time access to the seismic sensors. This
provided earlier detection of tsunami-generating events,
greater accuracy modeling a potential tsunami, and earlier
warnings to affected communities.
Approaches and expectations for tsunami warning and
preparedness differ depending upon whether a tsunami is of a
local or distant origin. The greatest risk is posed by local
tsunami, which may give residents only a few minutes to seek
safety and can be devastating in impact. Tsunami of distant
origin may give residents more time to evacuate threatened
coastal areas, but there is greater need for timely and
accurate assessment of the hazard to avoid costly false alarms.
The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) is a
Federal-State partnership consisting of NOAA, USGS, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the States of Alaska,
California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. This program was
established through Congressional action following the 1992
earthquake and tsunami off of California, for which no warning
was issued because of outdated detection instrumentation and
technology. The resulting NTHMP consists of 3 program areas:
(1) warning guidance (relating to the detection system); (2)
mitigation; and (3) hazard assessment.
NTHMP's Mitigation efforts focus on preparing communities at
risk before a tsunami strikes to lessen the impact. This
includes educating the community, local businesses, planners,
emergency managers and government officials on the risk of
tsunami, tsunami hazard signs, evacuation routes, and how to
recognize and respond to signs of an impending tsunami. In
addition, under NOAA's voluntary Tsunami Ready Program, a
community is certified as ``Tsunami Ready'' based on its
establishment of an emergency operations center, the ability to
disseminate tsunami warnings, a tsunami hazard plan, community
awareness, and the ability to receive multiple tsunami
warnings. As of March 9, 2005, there were 16 Tsunami Ready
communities located throughout the west coast States and
Hawaii.
Another mitigation facet is Hazard Guidance, which develops
inundation mapping to determine areas prone to flooding from
tsunami. This goal of developing inundation maps for every at-
risk coastal community is carried out by NOAA's Center for
Tsunami Inundation Mapping Efforts (TIME), which works closely
with the States to develop mapping standards, quality control
criteria, and certification requirements.
Continuous improvement of tsunami warnings, mitigation, and
hazard preparedness efforts requires a coordinated research
program. NOAA's Tsunami Research Program is headquartered at
PMEL, in Seattle, Washington. The program provides research
support to all aspects of the tsunami program in the United
States. This includes the continued development of the DART
buoy system; inundation modeling for TIME; maintaining a
database of tsunami events and data from these events; tsunami
modeling at the Pacific Disaster Center and the Maui High
Performance Computer Center; and any other research related to
the NTHMP.
The United States system needs to be repaired and expanded to
improve detection and warning accuracy, and to cover areas not
currently included. Of NOAA's 6 DART buoys, 3 were out of
service at the start of 2005 (2 off the coast of the Aleutian
Islands and 1 off the coast of the Washington-Oregon border),
and the overall quality of the buoys' performance has decreased
50 percent over the past 15 months. This reduced coverage
impaired NOAA's ability both to detect and warn of a tsunami
and also identify costly false alarms. Strengthening
reliability of the detection system and further development of
a real-time two-way warning system will greatly contribute to
the security and well-being of United States coastal
communities. Improved mapping and community preparedness is
also a key component of any effective warning system, and not
all vulnerable communities have been determined to be Tsunami
Ready.
On January 14, 2005, the Administration announced its plan
for an improved tsunami warning system throughout the entire
Pacific, Caribbean, and mid-Atlantic oceans, including
increased preparedness and research activities. The plan
envisions the establishment of an integrated global tsunami
warning system that will be part of the Global Earth
Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), an international effort
by 54 participating nations (including India, Indonesia, and
Thailand) to establish a system that will include improved
coastal topography, ocean floor bathymetry, real-time data from
tide gauges, enhanced communications systems, regional
warnings, and improved information dissemination.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The Tsunami Preparedness Act (S. 50) was introduced by
Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens in the Senate on January 24,
2005, and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation. There are 23 cosponsors of S. 50
including Senators Burns, Boxer, Smith, Cantwell, Snowe, Kerry,
Bill Nelson, and Lautenberg. The Committee held a hearing on
the bill on February 2, 2005. On March 10, 2005, the Committee
considered the bill in open Executive Session. Senators Inouye,
Stevens, Smith and Cantwell offered a substitute amendment to
the bill, making a number of technical and conforming changes
to the bill as introduced, and adding new sections, including
section 3(d) on data management, and section 7(e) encouraging
the Administrator to seek cost sharing for international
activities. The substitute also added a new section 8, entitled
Coastal Community Vulnerability and Adaptation Program, which
would encourage collaboration among Federal, State, local, and
regional efforts to improve preparedness for all coastal
hazards through a small suite of regional pilot projects. The
program would be authorized at $5 million annually for FY 2006
through 2012. The Committee, without objection, adopted the
substitute amendment and ordered the bill reported as amended.
ESTIMATED COSTS
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
S. 50--Tsunami Preparedness Act
Summary: S. 50 would direct the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration to establish and implement new
programs to research, detect, monitor, and mitigate the effects
of tsunamis in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The bill would
direct the agency to upgrade and improve existing systems and
data management efforts and would authorize it to provide
technical and financial aid to those affected by tsunamis,
including local and international entities. For those purposes,
the bill would authorize the appropriation of $40 million for
each of fiscal years 2006 through 2012, including $8 million
annually for pilot projects to assess the vulnerability of
coastal areas of the United States.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 50 would cost a total of
$124 million over the 2006-2010 period, assuming appropriation
of the amounts authorized. We estimate that about $136 million
would be spent after 2010, including $80 million authorized to
be appropriated for 2011 and 2012. Enacting S. 50 could affect
direct spending, but CBO estimates any offsetting receipts and
subsequent spending would not exceed $500,000 in any year.
Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
S. 50 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
Coastal states and local communities would benefit from the
programs and grants authorized in this bill. Any costs they
face to participate in those programs would be incurred
voluntarily.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of S. 50 is shown in the following table. The
costs of this legislation fall within budget function 300
(natural resources and environment).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
--------------------------------------------
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
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Authorization Level................................................ 40 40 40 40 40
Estimated Outlays.................................................. 8 16 20 40 40
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For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 50 will be enacted
by the beginning of 2006 and that the entire amounts authorized
will be appropriated for each year. Estimated outlays are based
on historical spending patterns of similar scientific programs.
Some of the costs of carrying out a global tsunami warning and
mitigation program may be offset by reimbursements from other
countries participating in the program, but CBO estimates that
such reimbursements would be less than $500,000 annually.
Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 50 contains
no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in
UMRA. Coastal states and local communities would benefit from
the programs and grants authorized in this bill. Any costs they
face to participate in those programs would be incurred
voluntarily.
Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Deborah Reis; Impact
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Theresa Gullo; and
Impact on the Private Sector: Jean Talarico.
Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT
In accordance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following evaluation of the regulatory impact of the
legislation, as reported:
NUMBER OF PERSONS COVERED
The reported bill would establish a national tsunami warning
system within NOAA and authorize appropriations for the program
for fiscal years 2006 through 2012. It does not authorize any
new regulations and therefore will not subject any individuals
or businesses to new regulations.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Section 8 authorizes $35 million to the Administrator of NOAA
for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2012 to carry out the
purposes of S. 50. An additional $5 million shall be provided
to NOAA for FY 2006 through 2012 for activities carried out
under section 8. These funding levels are not expected to have
an inflationary impact on the nation's economy.
PRIVACY
The reported bill will not have any adverse impact on the
personal privacy of individuals.
PAPERWORK
The reported bill will not increase paperwork requirements
for the private sector. Those non-governmental partners that
participate in the Tsunami Research Program established in
section 5 would likely increase their development of detection,
prediction, communication, and mitigation science and
technology for tsunami forecasts and warnings. Also,
communities and their respective local governmental entities
that participate in the Integrated Coastal Vulnerability and
Adaptation Program will need to develop vulnerability maps for
potential hazards, better integration of risk management with
community planning, training of public officials in risk
management leadership, development of risk assessment
technologies, creation of new data services to support the new
risk management activities, and development of new risk
communications systems.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Sec. 1. Short title
Section 1 establishes the short title of the bill as the
``Tsunami Preparedness Act.''
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes
Section 2(a) sets forth the findings for the Act.
Section 2(b) sets forth the purposes for the Act, which are:
(1) to improve tsunami detection, forecast, warnings,
notification, preparedness, and mitigation in the United States
and elsewhere in the world; (2) to improve the existing Pacific
Tsunami Warning System and expand detection and warning systems
to 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; (4) to provide technical and
other assistance to speed international efforts to establish
regional tsunami warning systems in vulnerable areas worldwide;
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
Section 3(a) directs the Administrator of NOAA to operate
regional tsunami warning systems for the Pacific Ocean region
and the region encompassing the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean, and
Gulf of Mexico.
Section 3(b) states that the system shall consist of both a
Pacific tsunami warning system, to cover the entire Pacific
Ocean area, including the Western, Central, North, Eastern,
South, and Arctic areas, as well as an Atlantic and Caribbean
system. The Atlantic and Caribbean system would cover areas
that the Administrator determines to be geologically active or
have the potential for geological activity, and pose measurable
risks of tsunami for States along the coastal areas of the
Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico. The section also states
that the system shall (1) utilize an array of deep ocean
detection buoys; (2) include an associated tide gauge system;
(3) include any other sensors needed to support related ocean
and earth observing systems); (4) provide for cooperation
between NOAA and the USGS; (5) provide for information and data
processing through the tsunami warning centers; (6) be
integrated into United States and global ocean and earth
observing systems, including the Global Earth Observing System
of Systems; and (7) provide a communications infrastructure for
at-risk tsunami communities. This section also directs the
Administrator to leverage assistance and assets of the United
States Coast Guard and United States Navy in deploying and
maintaining detection buoys.
Section 3(c) directs the Administrator to establish tsunami
warning centers to provide a link between detection and warning
systems and the tsunami hazard mitigation program, including
the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii and the West
Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska. The
responsibilities of these centers shall include (1) continuous
monitoring of data from seismological, deep ocean, and tidal
monitoring stations and the provision of this data to the
national tsunami archive; (2) evaluating earthquakes that have
potential to generate tsunami; (3) evaluating deep ocean buoy
and tidal monitoring station data; and (4) disseminating
information and warning bulletins for local and distant
tsunami.
Section 3(d) directs the Administrator to maintain a national
and regional data management system to address the data
requirements of the tsunami detection and monitoring system,
including (1) quality control and assurance; (2) archival and
maintenance of data; (3) support integration of data from the
tsunami observation system with data from other observation
systems; and (4) support the development and access of data
products to the assessment and adaptation programs covered in
section 8.
Sec. 4. Tsunami hazard mitigation program
Section 4(a) authorizes the Administrator to conduct a
community-based tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve
tsunami preparedness of at-risk areas.
Section 4(b) requires the Administrator to establish a
coordinating committee consisting of representatives of NOAA,
USGS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the
National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), and affected coastal States
and territories. This section envisions the inclusion of State,
local and non-governmental entities, such as academic
institutions, in the program.
Section 4(c) sets forth, as components of the tsunami hazard
mitigation program, the following: (1) improving the quality
and extent of inundation mapping; (2) promoting and improving
community outreach and education networks and programs; (3)
integrating tsunami awareness, preparedness, and mitigation
programs into ongoing hazard warnings and risk management
programs in affected areas; (4) promoting the adoption of
tsunami warning and mitigation measures by Federal, State,
tribal, and local government and non-government entities; (5)
developing tsunami-specific rescue and recovery guidelines,
with FEMA as the lead agency; (6) requiring budget coordination
through the Administration to ensure that participating
agencies provide necessary funds; and (7) providing for
periodic external review of the program.
Sec. 5. Tsunami research program
Section 5(a) requires the Administrator to establish, in
coordination with other agencies and academic institutions, a
tsunami research program to develop detection, prediction,
communication, and mitigation science and technology that
supports tsunami forecasts and warnings. This program will
include sensing techniques, tsunami tracking, and forecast
modeling to (1) help determine whether an earthquake or seismic
event will result in a tsunami, and the likely path, severity,
duration and travel time of a tsunami; (2) develop techniques
and technologies that may be used to quickly and effectively
communicate tsunami warnings and forecasts; (3) develop
techniques and technologies to support evacuation products; and
(4) develop techniques for utilizing remote sensing
technologies in rescue and recovery situations.
Section 5(b) directs the Administrator, in consultation with
the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and
Information and the Federal Communications Commission, to
investigate the potential for improved communications systems
for tsunami and other hazard warnings, including telephones,
wireless and satellite technology, the Internet, automatic
alert televisions and radios; innovative and low-cost
combinations of such technologies; and other technologies that
may be developed.
Sec. 6. Tsunami system upgrade
Section 6(a) directs the Administrator to (1) authorize the
direct and immediate repair of existing deep ocean detection
buoys; (2) ensure the deployment of an array of deep ocean
detection buoys; and (3) ensure expansion and upgrade of the
tide gauge network.
Section 6(b) sets forth requirements for the Administrator in
carrying out this section with respect to the transfer of
technology, maintenance and upgrades, including: (1)
promulgating specifications and standards for forecast,
detection, and warning systems; (2) developing and executing a
plan for the transfer of technology from ongoing research to
long-term operations; (3) ensuring the maintenance and
operation of detection equipment; (4) obtaining priority
treatment in budgeting for the acquiring, transporting, and
maintenance of tsunami detection system equipment; and (5)
ensuring the integration of the tsunami detection system with
other United States and global and coastal observation systems.
Section 6(c) requires that, before appropriated amounts are
obligated or expended for the acquisition of services for
construction or deployment of tsunami detection equipment, the
Administrator must certify to the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives
Committees on Science and Resources within 60 calendar days
after the President submits the Budget of the United States
that: (1) each contractor has met contract requirements; (2)
constructed equipment is capable of becoming fully operational
without additional expenditures of appropriated funds; and (3)
there are no foreseeable delays in deployment and operation.
Section 6(d) requires that the Administrator notify the
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and
the House of Representatives Committees on Science and
Resources of impaired regional detection coverage due to
equipment or system failure, and significant contractor
failures or delays in completing work associated with the
tsunami detection and warning system.
Section 6(e) requires the Administrator to submit 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.
Section 6(f) requires the National Academy of Sciences to
review the tsunami detection, forecast, and warning system, and
transmit a report on its findings and 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.
Sec. 7. Global tsunami warning and mitigation network
Section 7(a) requires the Administrator, in coordination with
the other members of the United States Interagency Committee of
the National Tsunami Mitigation Program, to 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.
Section 7(b) directs the Administrator to establish and
operate an International Tsunami Information Center (Center)
for all nations participating in the International Tsunami
Warning System of the Pacific and other nations participating
in UNESCO's global tsunami warning system. The Center's
responsibilities will include (1) monitoring international
tsunami warnings in the Pacific; (2) assisting member States in
establishing their own tsunami warning systems; (3) maintaining
a library of tsunami-related materials for use by the global
scientific community; and (4) dissemination of tsunami related
information.
Section 7(c) directs the Administrator to give priority to
assisting nations in identifying vulnerable coastal areas,
creating inundation maps, obtaining and designing detection and
reporting equipment, and establishing communication and warning
networks. It also states that the Administrator may establish a
process for the transfer of detection and communication
technology to affected nations in order to establish an
international tsunami warning system and that the Administrator
shall provide technical and other assistance to support
international tsunami education, response, vulnerability, and
adaptation programs.
Section 7(d) prohibits the Administrator from providing
assistance 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.
Section 7(e) directs the Administrator, in coordination with
the Secretary of State, to seek financial assistance from
participating nations in order to ensure a fully functional
global tsunami warning system.
Section 7(f) allows the Administrator to accept payment to,
or reimbursement of NOAA from, or on the behalf of,
international organizations and foreign authorities, for
expenses incurred by the Administrator in carrying out any
activity under this Act.
Sec. 8. Coastal community vulnerability and adaptation program
Section 8(a) 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. The following 6 areas of activity are
suggested: (1) development of vulnerability maps for coastal
communities to a wide array of potential hazards; (2) efforts
to better integrate risk management with community planning;
(3) risk management leadership training for public officials;
(4) development of risk assessment technologies; (5) new data
services to support the new risk management activities; (6) new
risk communication systems.
Section 8(b) directs the Administrator to begin three
regional pilot projects incorporating the activities described
in section 8(a). These projects should begin no more than one
year after the enactment of this bill and provide regional
assessments of United States coastal vulnerability to hazards
associated with tsunami and other coastal hazards including sea
level rise, increases in severe weather events, and climate
variability and change. Regional assessments should consider
the social, physical, and economic impacts of such hazards. The
assessments should also include a description of ways to
enhance the resilience of at-risk communities, economic sectors
and natural resources.
Section 8(c) identifies the selection criteria to be used in
picking appropriate regional pilot projects. These include (1)
vulnerability to the hazards discussed above; (2) dependence on
economic sectors and resources that may be particularly at
risk; (3) opportunities to link and use existing risk
management programs; (4) evidence of strong interagency
collaboration in the area of risk management; and (5) access to
NOAA and other Federal programs, facilities, and
infrastructure.
Section 8(d) directs the Administrator to submit regional
adaptation plans to Congress three years after the
implementation of the pilot programs. These plans should be
based on the regional assessments discussed in section 8(b) and
be developed with the participation of agencies at all levels
of government as well as various non-governmental entities that
have a stake in the pilot projects. The assessments should
include recommendations for (1) targets and strategies for
addressing the hazards discussed above; (2) short and long term
adaptation strategies; (3) Federal flood insurance programs;
(4) areas that have been identified as high risk; (5) enhancing
the effectiveness of State coastal zone management programs in
mitigating the hazards discussed above; (6) mitigation
incentives; (7) land and property owner education; (8) economic
plans for small at risk communities; and (9) funding
requirements and mechanisms.
Section 8(e) directs the Administrator to establish a
coordinated program to provide technical planning and
assistance to coastal States, tribes and local governments as
they implement strategies developed under this section. This
program would also make available to these same entities all
products, information, tools, and technical expertise generated
through the regional assessments and adaptation plans.
Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations
Section 9 authorizes $35 million to the Administrator of NOAA
for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2012 to carry out the
purposes of this Act. An additional $5 million shall be
provided to NOAA for FYs 2006 through 2012 for activities
carried out under section 8, of which at least $3 million is to
be used for the pilot programs annually.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the bill as
reported would make no change to existing law.