I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1674
To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, and 
mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion, to be carried out by the National Weather Service, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 18, 2005
Mr. BOEHLERT (for himself, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. EHLERS, and Mr. WU) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science 
A BILL 
To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, 
warning, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, to be carried out by 
the National Weather Service, 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 ‘‘United States Tsunami 
Warning and Education Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, 
warnings, notification, preparedness, and mitigation 
to protect life and property both in the United 
States and elsewhere in the world; 
(2) to enhance and modernize the existing Pa-
cific Tsunami Warning System to increase coverage, 
reduce false alarms and increase the accuracy of 
forecasts and warnings, and to expand detection and 
warning systems to include other vulnerable States 
and United States territories, including the Atlantic 
Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico areas; 
(3) to improve mapping, modeling, research, 
and assessment efforts to improve tsunami fore-
casting, preparedness, mitigation, response, and re-
covery; 
(4) to improve and increase education and out-
reach activities and ensure that those receiving tsu-
nami warnings and the at-risk public know what to 
do when a tsunami is approaching; 
(5) to provide technical and other assistance to 
speed international efforts to establish regional tsu-
nami warning systems in vulnerable areas worldwide, 
including the Indian Ocean; and
(6) to improve Federal, State, and international 
coordination for tsunami and other coastal hazard 
warnings and preparedness. 
SEC. 3. TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND WARNING PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through 
the National Weather Service, shall operate a program to 
provide tsunami forecasting and warnings for the Pacific 
Ocean region and for the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, 
and Gulf of Mexico region. 
(b) COMPONENTS.—The program under this section 
shall—
(1) include the tsunami warning centers estab-
lished under subsection (d); 
(2) provide tsunami forecasting capability based 
on models and measurements, including tsunami in-
undation models and maps for use in increasing the 
preparedness of communities, including through the 
TsunamiReady program; 
(3) include a cooperative effort among the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
United States Geological Survey, and the National 
Science Foundation under which the Geological Sur-
vey and the National Science Foundation shall pro-
vide rapid and reliable seismic information to the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
from international and domestic seismic networks; 
(4) provide a capability for the dissemination of 
warnings to at-risk States and tsunami communities 
through rapid and reliable notification to govern-
ment officials and the public through such means as 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion weather radio and the All Hazard Alert Broad-
casting Radio; and 
(5) include any technology the Administrator 
considers appropriate to fulfill the objectives of the 
program under this section. 
(c) SYSTEM AREAS.—The program under this section 
shall operate—
(1) a Pacific tsunami warning system capable 
of forecasting tsunamis anywhere in the Pacific 
Ocean region and providing adequate warnings; and 
(2) an Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf 
of Mexico tsunami warning system capable of fore-
casting tsunamis and providing adequate warnings 
in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and 
Gulf of Mexico that the National Weather Service 
determines—
(A) to be geologically active, or to have sig-
nificant potential for geological activity; and
(B) to pose significant risks of tsunamis 
for States along the coastal areas of the Atlan-
tic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico. 
(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through 
the National Weather Service, shall maintain or es-
tablish—
(A) a Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 
Hawaii; 
(B) a West Coast and Alaska Tsunami 
Warning Center in Alaska; and 
(C) any additional forecast and warning 
centers determined by the National Weather 
Service to be necessary. 
(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of 
each tsunami warning center shall include—
(A) continuously monitoring data from 
seismological, deep ocean, and tidal monitoring 
stations; 
(B) evaluating earthquakes that have the 
potential to generate tsunamis; 
(C) evaluating deep ocean buoy data and 
tidal monitoring stations for indications of tsu-
nami resulting from earthquakes and other 
sources;
(D) disseminating forecasts and tsunami 
warning bulletins to Federal, State, and local 
government officials and the public; 
(E) coordinating with the tsunami hazard 
mitigation program described in section 4 to en-
sure ongoing sharing of information between 
forecasters and emergency management offi-
cials; and 
(F) making data gathered under this Act 
and post-warning analyses conducted by the 
National Weather Service available to research-
ers. 
(e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE AND 
UPGRADES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, 
the National Weather Service shall—
(A) develop requirements for the equip-
ment used to forecast tsunamis, which shall in-
clude provisions for multipurpose detection plat-
forms, reliability and performance metrics, and 
to the maximum extent practicable how the 
equipment will be integrated with other United 
States and global ocean and coastal observation 
systems, the global earth observing system of
systems, global seismic networks, and the Ad-
vanced National Seismic System; and 
(B) develop and execute a plan for the 
transfer of technology from ongoing research 
described in section 5 into the program under 
this section. 
(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—(A) Not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
National Weather Service shall transmit to Congress 
a report on how the tsunami forecast system under 
this section will be integrated with other United 
States and global ocean and coastal observation sys-
tems, the global earth observing system of systems, 
global seismic networks, and the Advanced National 
Seismic System. 
(B) Not later than 3 years after the date of en-
actment to this Act, the National Weather Service 
shall transmit a report to Congress on how tech-
nology developed under section 5 is being trans-
ferred into the program under this section. 
(f) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATIONS.—The Adminis-
trator shall notify the Senate Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation and the House of Represent-
atives Committee on Science within 3 months of—
(1) impaired regional forecasting capabilities 
due to equipment or system failures; and 
(2) significant contractor failures or delays in 
completing work associated with the tsunami fore-
casting and warning system. 
(g) EXTERNAL REVIEW.—The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall 
enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of 
Sciences to review the tsunami detection, forecast, and 
warning program operated by the National Weather Serv-
ice under this Act to assess further modernization and cov-
erage needs, as well as long-term operational reliability 
issues, taking into account measures implemented under 
this Act. The review shall also include an assessment of 
how well the forecast equipment has been integrated into 
other United States and global ocean and coastal observa-
tion systems and the global earth observing system of sys-
tems. Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit a report con-
taining the National Academy of Sciences’ recommenda-
tions, the Administrator’s responses to the recommenda-
tions, including those where the Administrator disagrees 
with the Academy, a timetable to implement the accepted 
recommendations, and the cost of implementing all the 
Academy’s recommendations, to the Senate Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of 
Representatives Committee on Science. 
SEC. 4. TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through 
the National Weather Service, shall conduct a community-
based tsunami hazard mitigation program to improve tsu-
nami preparedness of at-risk areas in the United States 
and its territories. 
(b) COORDINATING COMMITTEE.—In conducting the 
program under this section, the Administrator shall estab-
lish a coordinating committee comprising representatives 
of Federal, State, local, and tribal government officials. 
The committee shall—
(1) recommend how funds appropriated for car-
rying out the program under this section will be allo-
cated; 
(2) ensure that areas described in section 3(c) 
in the United States and its territories can have the 
opportunity to participate in the program; and 
(3) provide recommendations to the National 
Weather 
Service 
on 
how 
to 
improve 
the 
TsunamiReady program, particularly on ways to 
make communities more tsunami resilient through
the use of inundation maps and other mitigation 
practices. 
(c) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The program under 
this section shall—
(1) use National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration inundation models to improve the qual-
ity and extent of inundation mapping, including as-
sessment of vulnerable inner coastal areas; 
(2) promote and improve community outreach 
and education networks and programs to ensure 
community readiness, including the development of 
multi-hazard risk and vulnerability assessment train-
ing and decision support tools, implementation of 
technical training and public education programs, 
and provide for certification of prepared commu-
nities; 
(3) integrate tsunami preparedness and mitiga-
tion programs into ongoing hazard warning and risk 
management programs in affected areas; 
(4) promote the adoption of tsunami warning 
and mitigation measures by Federal, State, tribal, 
and local governments and nongovernmental entities, 
including educational programs to discourage devel-
opment in high-risk areas; and
(5) provide for periodic external review of the 
program. 
SEC. 5. TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration shall, in consultation with other 
agencies and academic institutions, establish or maintain 
a tsunami research program to develop detection, forecast, 
communication, and mitigation science and technology, in-
cluding advanced sensing techniques, information and 
communication technology, data collection, analysis, and 
assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical forecast 
modeling. Such research program shall—
(1) consider other appropriate research to miti-
gate the impact of tsunamis; 
(2) coordinate with the National Weather Serv-
ice on technology to be transferred to operations; 
and 
(3) ensure that research and findings are avail-
able to the scientific community. 
SEC. 6. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NET-
WORK. 
(a) INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—
The Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, through the National Weather 
Service, in coordination with other members of the United
States Interagency Committee of the National Tsunami 
Mitigation Program, shall provide technical assistance and 
training to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commis-
sion, the World Meteorological Organization, and other 
international entities, as part of international efforts to 
develop a fully functional global tsunami forecast and 
warning system comprising regional tsunami warning net-
works, modeled on the International Tsunami Warning 
System of the Pacific. 
(b) INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION CEN-
TER.—The Administrator of the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration, through the National Weather 
Service, shall operate an International Tsunami Informa-
tion Center to improve tsunami preparedness for all Pa-
cific Ocean nations participating in the International Tsu-
nami Warning System of the Pacific, and which may also 
provide such assistance to other nations participating in 
a global tsunami warning system established through the 
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. As part of 
its responsibilities around the world, the Center shall—
(1) monitor international tsunami warning ac-
tivities around the world; 
(2) assist member states in establishing na-
tional warning systems, and make information avail-
able on current technologies for tsunami warning 
systems; 
(3) maintain a library of materials to promul-
gate knowledge about tsunamis in general and for 
use by the scientific community; and 
(4) disseminate information, including edu-
cational materials and research reports. 
(c) DETECTION EQUIPMENT; TECHNICAL ADVICE 
AND TRAINING.—In carrying out this section, the Na-
tional Weather Service—
(1) shall give priority to assisting nations in 
identifying vulnerable coastal areas, creating inunda-
tion maps, obtaining or designing real-time detection 
and reporting equipment, and establishing commu-
nication and warning networks and contact points in 
each vulnerable nation; and 
(2) may establish a process for transfer of de-
tection and communication technology to affected 
nations for the purposes of establishing the inter-
national tsunami warning system. 
(d) DATA-SHARING REQUIREMENT.—The National 
Weather Service may not provide assistance under this 
section for any nation unless that nation agrees to share 
relevant data or products associated with the development