II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 452 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 17, 2005 

Mr. CORZINE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tsunami Early Warn5 ing and Relief Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 
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1 (1) A tremendous undersea earthquake near 

2 Sumatra, Indonesia, created a tsunami whose devas3 tation spread throughout South Asia, Southeast 

4 Asia, and East Africa, leading to the death of more 

5 than 160,000 people on December 26, 2004. As of 

6 February 4, 2005, more than 140,000 people are 

7 still missing. The tsunami-affected countries include 

8 Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, 

9 Seychelles, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Somalia, 

10 Kenya, and Tanzania. 

11 (2) The tsunami resulted in massive destruction 

12 affecting millions of people who now require a great 

13 amount of short-term survival assistance and long14 term rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance. 

15 (3) Compared to past disasters, the Indian 

16 Ocean earthquake and tsunami led to historic de17 struction of the social service infrastructure, busi18 nesses, and livelihoods. The devastation caused by 

19 the tsunami has resulted in many separated families 

20 and countless unaccompanied and orphaned chil21 dren. 

22 (4) An effective global tsunami warning system 

23 is critical for preventing future humanitarian disas24 ters and for protecting national security, since 

25 tsunamis occurring anywhere around the globe could 
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1 impact the United States at home and United States 

2 national interests abroad. 

3 (5) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad4 ministration has already built a system of tsunami 

5 buoys in the Pacific Ocean which has been proven to 

6 provide critical information and enhance the Na7 tion’s response to tsunamis. The National Oceanic 

8 and Atmospheric Administration has the technical 

9 capability to upgrade and expand this system so that 

10 it covers the entire globe and is integrated into larg11 er ocean observing efforts. 

12 (6) Consistent funding and international co13 operation would be needed to deploy a broader global 

14 tsunami warning system. 

15 (7) Effective local emergency management ca16 pabilities are needed to relay tsunami warning infor17 mation to coastal communities and their residents. 

18 TITLE I—TSUNAMI WARNING 

19 SYSTEMS 

20 SEC. 101. GLOBAL PROGRAM. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Commerce 

22 shall establish a Global Tsunami Disaster Reduction Pro23 gram within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad24 ministration for the establishment of a tsunami warning 

25 system to protect vulnerable areas around the world, in-
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1 cluding Atlantic Ocean, Carribean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, In2 dian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and European areas. 

3 (b) INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION.—The Secretary 

4 of State, in consultation with the Director of the National 

5 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall work with 

6 foreign countries that would benefit from the warning sys7 tem described in subsection (a), and through international 

8 organizations, for the purposes of— 

9 (1) sharing costs; 

10 (2) sharing relevant data; 

11 (3) sharing technical advice for the implementa12 tion of dissemination and evacuation plans; and 

13 (4) ensuring that the Global Earth Observation 

14 System of Systems program has access to and 

15 shares openly all relevant information worldwide. 

16 SEC. 102. EXPANSION OF UNITED STATES TSUNAMI READY 

17 PROGRAM. 

18 The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmos19 pheric Administration shall work with coastal communities 

20 throughout the United States to build upon local coastal 

21 and ocean observing capabilities, improve abilities to dis22 seminate tsunami information and prepare evacuation 

23 plans according to the requirements of the Tsunami Ready 

24 program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
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1 istration, and encourage more communities to participate 

2 in the program. 

3 SEC. 103. SEISMIC ACTIVITY MONITORING. 

4 The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmos5 pheric Administration shall coordinate with the United 

6 States Geological Survey and the Department of State to 

7 work with other countries to enhance the monitoring, 

8 through the Global Seismic Network (GSN), of seismic ac9 tivities that could lead to tsunamis, to support the pro10 grams described in sections 101 and 102. 

11 SEC. 104. ANNUAL REPORT. 

12 The Director of the National Oceanic and Atmos13 pheric Administration shall transmit an annual report to 

14 Congress on progress in carrying out this title. 

15 SEC. 105. DEFINITION. 

16 For purposes of this title, the term ‘‘United States’’ 

17 means the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

18 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 

19 Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana 

20 Islands, and any other commonwealth, territory, or posses21 sion of the United States. 

22 SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec24 retary of Commerce for carrying out this title— 

25 (1) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 
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1 (2) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and for 

2 each subsequent fiscal year. 

3 TITLE II—RELIEF, REHABILITA4 TION, AND RECONSTRUCTION 

5 ASSISTANCE RELATING TO IN6 DIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI 

7 SEC. 201. ASSISTANCE. 

8 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President, acting through 

9 the Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter10 national Development, is authorized to provide assistance 

11 for— 

12 (1) the relief and rehabilitation of individuals 

13 who are victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami; and 

14 (2) the reconstruction of the infrastructures of 

15 countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, in16 cluding Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, 

17 Maldives, Seychelles, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, 

18 Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. 

19 (b) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Assistance under this 

20 section may be provided on such terms and conditions as 

21 the President may determine. 

22 SEC. 202. REPORT. 

23 The President shall transmit to Congress, on a quar24 terly basis in 2005, on a biannual basis in 2006, and as 
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1 determined to be appropriate by the President thereafter, 

2 a report on progress in carrying out this title. 

3 SEC. 203. DEFINITION. 

4 In this title, the term ‘‘Indian Ocean tsunami’’ means 

5 the tsunami that resulted from the earthquake that oc6 curred off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, 

7 on December 26, 2004. 

8 SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Presi10 dent to carry out this title such sums as may be necessary 

11 for fiscal year 2006 and each subsequent fiscal year. 

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