I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 499 
To provide for the development of a global tsunami detection and warning 
system, to improve existing communication of tsunami warnings to all 
potentially affected nations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 1, 2005 
Mr. SHAYS (for himself, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
SANDERS, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. MCNUL-
TY, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mrs. MCCARTHY, and Mr. OWENS) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the development of a global tsunami detection 
and warning system, to improve existing communication 
of tsunami warnings to all potentially affected nations, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Tsunami Detec-
tion and Warning System Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT AND DEPLOYMENT OF TSUNAMI 
SENSORS. 
(a) RESPONSIBILITIES
OF SECRETARY
OF COM-
MERCE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall— 
(1) identify deficiencies in the existing system 
of worldwide seismic stations that can identify in 
real or near real time potentially tsunamigenic 
earthquakes in any location in the Pacific, Atlantic, 
or Indian Oceans and associated seas; 
(2) work with the Secretary of State to enlist 
international cooperation in deploying seismic sen-
sors to eliminate such deficiencies; 
(3) work with the Secretary of the Interior, 
through the Director of the United States Geological 
Survey to identify and implement any additions or 
improvements to the United States’ maintained net-
work of seismic stations that are necessary to im-
prove real time or near real time signal acquisition 
and processing capability for detection of potentially 
tsunamigenic seismic events; 
(4) identify tsunami sensors, such as those de-
veloped by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration and deployed under its Deep Ocean 
Assessment and Report of Tsunamis Project, or 
other appropriate ocean-based sensors, that can be 
deployed to detect potential tsunamis generated by
any type of disturbance, including earthquake, un-
derwater landslide, above water landslide, eruption 
of an explosive volcano, and meteor impact; 
(5) identify the number and location of such 
sensors that must be deployed throughout the Atlan-
tic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and associated seas, 
and any other bodies of water of concern, to provide 
a system offering complete global coverage for detec-
tion of a tsunami, taking into consideration and co-
ordinating with any regional systems in place or 
under development through other nations in the af-
fected regions; 
(6) procure and deploy such sensors; 
(7) establish the measurement system, forecast 
system, and communication system and infrastruc-
ture needed to receive and process the signals gen-
erated by such tsunami sensors, by building on exist-
ing infrastructure at existing Centers of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and 
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Center; and 
(8) disseminate tsunami forecasts and warnings 
as necessary to all potentially affected nations. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report on the 
progress made in carrying out the requirements of sub-
section (a). 
SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL TSU-
NAMI DETECTION AND WARNING. 
(a) SENSE
OF CONGRESS
ON CONVENING CON-
FERENCE.—It is the sense of Congress that the President, 
in consultation with the leaders of nations described in 
section 4(a)(1), should undertake to convene, within 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, an inter-
national conference on global tsunami detection and warn-
ing for the purposes of— 
(1) supporting the common objective of such 
nations of preventing or reducing the toll of human 
loss from future tsunami-related natural disasters in 
the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans and associ-
ated seas; and 
(2) seeking international agreement on the most 
effective means for deploying and funding a global 
tsunami detection and warning system. 
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS
ON ALTERNATIVE AC-
TION.—It is further the sense of Congress that a con-
ference described in subsection (a) would not be necessary 
if, as determined by the President after consultation with 
the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Commerce,
satisfactory international agreement as described in para-
graph (2) of that subsection has been reached within 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. NETWORK OF NATIONS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY 
TSUNAMIS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR STRATEGY.—The Secretary 
of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, 
shall prepare and implement a comprehensive strategy to 
achieve the following objectives: 
(1) Identify all coastal nations that have the po-
tential to be adversely affected by tsunamis, particu-
larly the nations that border the Pacific, Indian, and 
Atlantic Oceans, and associated seas. 
(2) Identify appropriate organizations, agencies, 
and contacts within the governments of those na-
tions for disseminating tsunami warnings by work-
ing with— 
(A) the United Nations Educational, Sci-
entific, and Cultural Organization; and 
(B) other appropriate organizations. 
(3) Develop, with cooperating nations and their 
agencies and organizations, a structure for a Global 
Tsunami Warning System that has an appropriate 
number of regional operational headquarters.
(4) Identify, with cooperating nations and their 
agencies and organizations, and establish an appro-
priate chain of command structure to ensure that 
warnings of potential or approaching tsunamis are 
directed to the appropriate contacts in potentially af-
fected countries in a timely manner through the 
Global Tsunami Warning System network. 
(5) Implement, with cooperating nations and 
their agencies and organizations, a tsunami fore-
casting system that includes tsunami early detection 
and monitoring instrumentation integrated with 
modeling technology essential to producing real-time 
tsunami forecasts. 
(6) Utilize the forecasts developed under the 
tsunami forecasting system to form appropriate 
warnings, and rapidly disseminate such warnings to 
potentially affected nations. 
(7) Develop an appropriate warning commu-
nications system involving telephone, Internet, radio, 
fax, and other appropriate means to convey warn-
ings as rapidly as possible to all potentially affected 
nations. 
(8) Work in partnership with the nations identi-
fied as described in paragraph (1), as needed, to de-
velop, establish, and maintain appropriate edu-
cational and response planning partnerships to en-
sure that tsunami warnings are properly interpreted 
by officials in other nations and that coastal commu-
nities respond appropriately to tsunami warnings. 
(9) Seek funding assistance from participating 
nations to fund the sensor systems identified under 
section 4 and the ongoing operation and mainte-
nance of such systems. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
of State shall submit to Congress a report on the strategy 
required under subsection (a). The report shall include the 
following: 
(1) The strategy. 
(2) The progress made on implementing the 
strategy. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Funds are hereby authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out this Act as follows: 
(1) For fiscal year 2005, $30,000,000. 
(2) For each of fiscal years 2006 through 2014, 
$7,500,000. 
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