H. R. 353—26 
‘‘(2) to enhance and modernize the existing United States 
Tsunami Warning System to increase the accuracy of forecasts 
and warnings, to ensure full coverage of tsunami threats to 
the United States with a network of detection assets, and 
to reduce false alarms;’’; 
(3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows: 
‘‘(3) to improve and develop standards and guidelines for 
mapping, modeling, and assessment efforts to improve tsunami 
detection, forecasting, warnings, notification, mitigation, resil-
iency, response, outreach, and recovery;’’; 
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) as para-
graphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively; 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following: 
‘‘(4) to improve research efforts related to improving tsu-
nami detection, forecasting, warnings, notification, mitigation, 
resiliency, response, outreach, and recovery;’’; 
(6) in paragraph (5), as redesignated— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and increase’’ and inserting ‘‘, increase, 
and develop uniform standards and guidelines for’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, including the warning signs of locally 
generated tsunami’’ after ‘‘approaching’’; 
(7) in paragraph (6), as redesignated, by striking ‘‘, 
including the Indian Ocean; and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
and 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as redesignated, the 
following: 
‘‘(7) to foster resilient communities in the face of tsunami 
and other similar coastal hazards; and’’. 
SEC. 504. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND WARNING 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 
3203(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, 
and Gulf of Mexico region’’ and inserting ‘‘Atlantic Ocean region, 
including the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico’’. 
(b) COMPONENTS.—Subsection (b) of section 804 (33 U.S.C. 
3203(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘established’’ and inserting 
‘‘supported or maintained’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through (9) as para-
graphs (8) through (10), respectively; 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (6) as para-
graphs (3) through (7), respectively; 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following: 
‘‘(2) to the degree practicable, maintain not less than 80 
percent of the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of 
Tsunamis buoy array at operational capacity to optimize data 
reliability;’’. 
(5) by amending paragraph (5), as redesignated by para-
graph (3), to read as follows: 
‘‘(5) provide tsunami forecasting capability based on models 
and measurements, including tsunami inundation models and 
maps for use in increasing the preparedness of communities 
and safeguarding port and harbor operations, that incorporate 
inputs, including— 
‘‘(A) the United States and global ocean and coastal 
observing system;
H. R. 353—27 
‘‘(B) the global Earth observing system; 
‘‘(C) the global seismic network; 
‘‘(D) the Advanced National Seismic system; 
‘‘(E) tsunami model validation using historical and 
paleotsunami data; 
‘‘(F) digital elevation models and bathymetry; and 
‘‘(G) newly developing tsunami detection methodologies 
using satellites and airborne remote sensing;’’; 
(6) by amending paragraph (7), as redesignated by para-
graph (3), to read as follows: 
‘‘(7) include a cooperative effort among the Administration, 
the United States Geological Survey, and the National Science 
Foundation under which the Director of the United States 
Geological Survey and the Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall— 
‘‘(A) provide rapid and reliable seismic information to 
the Administrator from international and domestic seismic 
networks; and 
‘‘(B) support seismic stations installed before the date 
of the enactment of the Tsunami Warning, Education, and 
Research Act of 2017 to supplement coverage in areas 
of sparse instrumentation;’’; 
(7) in paragraph (8), as redesignated by paragraph (2)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, including graphical warning prod-
ucts,’’ after ‘‘warnings’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, territories,’’ after ‘‘States’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘and Wireless Emergency Alerts’’ after 
‘‘Hazards Program’’; and 
(8) in paragraph (9), as redesignated by paragraph (2)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘provide and’’ before ‘‘allow’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘and commercial and Federal undersea 
communications cables’’ after ‘‘observing technologies’’. 
(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—Subsection (c) of section 804 
(33 U.S.C. 3203(c)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The program under this sec-
tion shall operate a tsunami warning system that— 
‘‘(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, including forecasting 
tsunami arrival time and inundation estimates, anywhere in 
the Pacific and Arctic Ocean regions and providing adequate 
warnings; 
‘‘(2) is capable of forecasting and providing adequate 
warnings, including tsunami arrival time and inundation 
models where applicable, in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 
including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, that are 
determined— 
‘‘(A) to be geologically active, or to have significant 
potential for geological activity; and 
‘‘(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami for States 
along the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean 
Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; and 
‘‘(3) supports other international tsunami forecasting and 
warning efforts.’’. 
(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—Subsection (d) of section 804 
(33 U.S.C. 3203(d)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—
H. R. 353—28 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall support or 
maintain centers to support the tsunami warning system 
required by subsection (c). The Centers shall include— 
‘‘(A) the National Tsunami Warning Center, located 
in Alaska, which is primarily responsible for Alaska and 
the continental United States; 
‘‘(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, located in 
Hawaii, which is primarily responsible for Hawaii, the 
Caribbean, and other areas of the Pacific not covered by 
the National Center; and 
‘‘(C) any additional forecast and warning centers deter-
mined by the National Weather Service to be necessary. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of the centers 
supported or maintained under paragraph (1) shall include 
the following: 
‘‘(A) Continuously monitoring data from seismological, 
deep ocean, coastal sea level, and tidal monitoring stations 
and other data sources as may be developed and deployed. 
‘‘(B) Evaluating earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic 
eruptions that have the potential to generate tsunami. 
‘‘(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and tidal moni-
toring stations for indications of tsunami resulting from 
earthquakes and other sources. 
‘‘(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a range of 
models, including ensemble models, to predict tsunami, 
including arrival times, flooding estimates, coastal and 
harbor currents, and duration. 
‘‘(E) Using data from the Integrated Ocean Observing 
System of the Administration in coordination with regional 
associations to calculate new inundation estimates and 
periodically update existing inundation estimates. 
‘‘(F) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami warning bul-
letins to Federal, State, tribal, and local government offi-
cials and the public. 
‘‘(G) Coordinating with the tsunami hazard mitigation 
program conducted under section 805 to ensure ongoing 
sharing of information between forecasters and emergency 
management officials. 
‘‘(H) In coordination with the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, evaluating and recommending proce-
dures for ports and harbors at risk of tsunami inundation, 
including review of readiness, response, and communication 
strategies, and data sharing policies, to the maximum 
extent practicable. 
‘‘(I) Making data gathered under this Act and post- 
warning analyses conducted by the National Weather 
Service or other relevant Administration offices available 
to the public. 
‘‘(J) Integrating and modernizing the program operated 
under this section with advances in tsunami science to 
improve performance without compromising service. 
‘‘(3) FAIL-SAFE WARNING CAPABILITY.—The tsunami warning 
centers supported or maintained under paragraph (1) shall 
maintain a fail-safe warning capability and perform back-up 
duties for each other.
H. R. 353—29 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION
WITH
NATIONAL
WEATHER
SERVICE.— 
The Administrator shall coordinate with the forecast offices 
of the National Weather Service, the centers supported or main-
tained under paragraph (1), and such program offices of the 
Administration as the Administrator or the coordinating com-
mittee, as established in section 805(d), consider appropriate 
to ensure that regional and local forecast offices— 
‘‘(A) have the technical knowledge and capability to 
disseminate tsunami warnings for the communities they 
serve; 
‘‘(B) 
leverage 
connections 
with 
local 
emergency 
management officials for optimally disseminating tsunami 
warnings and forecasts; and 
‘‘(C) implement mass communication tools in effect on 
the day before the date of the enactment of the Tsunami 
Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2017 used by 
the National Weather Service on such date and newer 
mass communication technologies as they are developed 
as a part of the Weather-Ready Nation program of the 
Administration, or otherwise, for the purpose of timely 
and effective delivery of tsunami warnings. 
‘‘(5) UNIFORM OPERATING PROCEDURES.—The Administrator 
shall— 
‘‘(A) develop uniform operational procedures for the 
centers supported or maintained under paragraph (1), 
including the use of software applications, checklists, deci-
sion support tools, and tsunami warning products that 
have been standardized across the program supported 
under this section; 
‘‘(B) ensure that processes and products of the warning 
system operated under subsection (c)— 
‘‘(i) reflect industry best practices when prac-
ticable; 
‘‘(ii) conform to the maximum extent practicable 
with internationally recognized standards for informa-
tion technology; and 
‘‘(iii) conform to the maximum extent practicable 
with other warning products and practices of the 
National Weather Service; 
‘‘(C) ensure that future adjustments to operational 
protocols, processes, and warning products— 
‘‘(i) are made consistently across the warning 
system operated under subsection (c); and 
‘‘(ii) are applied in a uniform manner across such 
warning system; 
‘‘(D) establish a systematic method for information 
technology product development to improve long-term tech-
nology planning efforts; and 
‘‘(E) disseminate guidelines and metrics for evaluating 
and improving tsunami forecast models. 
‘‘(6) AVAILABLE RESOURCES.—The Administrator, through 
the National Weather Service, shall ensure that resources are 
available to fulfill the obligations of this Act. This includes 
ensuring supercomputing resources are available to run, as 
rapidly as possible, such computer models as are needed for 
purposes of the tsunami warning system operated under sub-
section (c).’’.