Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 34, the Tsunami Warning,
Education, and Research Act of 2015.

I want to thank Mr. Rohrabacher for working with me to advance this
bipartisan legislation. I also thank the chairman and ranking member of
the Science Committee, Mr. Smith and Ms. Johnson, for their support in
making this bill an early priority in the 114th Congress. I would also
like to thank the State and local emergency management officials,
coastal zone managers, and the many scientists and other experts who
lent their expertise and experience to the development of this bill.
Coastal community groups and emergency planners in my district are
working hard to prepare their communities for earthquake and tsunami
events, and I am grateful that they took some time to provide their
input on this legislation.

Last month marked the 10th anniversary of the Sumatra-Andaman
earthquake in Southeast Asia. That earthquake triggered a tsunami event
that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people from Indonesia to
Madagascar. Following that tragic event, Congress enacted the Tsunami
Warning and Education Act to begin preparing our communities for the
considerable threat posed by such an event. We were again reminded of
the severe dangers that a tsunami represents for our coastal
communities almost 4 years ago when the Tohoku earthquake near Japan
created a devastating tsunami that resulted in the tragic loss of human
lives and billions of dollars in economic damage, damage that reached
as far as the west coast of the United States.

The events in Indonesia and Japan underscore the importance of this
legislation, which reauthorizes and extends U.S. efforts to prepare and
protect our coastal communities from similar events.

Our ability to prepare, respond to, and recover from a tsunami
depends in large part on the hard work done at the local level. The
Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act will support local
efforts, and it is an important step toward making sure our
constituents are ready to face the dangers posed by tsunami threats.

Maritime commerce, vibrant tourism, and more than 120 million
Americans are all part of the rich coastal U.S. economy, an economy
that contributes significantly to the U.S. GDP. The commercial fishing
industry alone supports about 1 million jobs, and the international
trade associated with coastal and marine fisheries contributes close to
$70 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Ensuring that coastal
communities, big and small, have the resources and knowledge necessary
to protect these critical assets from the threat of tsunami and be
prepared should it occur is simply good and prudent policy.

My coastal constituents are keenly aware of the threat that a tsunami
poses to their communities, and cities up and down coasts have
responded by installing warning sirens and developing evacuation
routes. But as we learn more about which areas will be hardest hit and
which technologies can provide the most accurate warning, a coordinated
effort is required to update preparation and response.

In Tillamook County, Oregon, for example, just outside my district,
they recently decided they are going to be using social media and
phones to warn residents. Seaside, a small coastal town in my district,
has been identified as the most vulnerable community to tsunami on the
Oregon coast, and local leaders and organizations there are proactively
educating residents and visitors about tsunami evacuation routes,
storage supply locations, and emergency communication systems.

At the Federal level, we must do our part to help communities
understand the risks and seriousness of the threats they face, and work
with them to be prepared, which is why I sponsored this bill along with
my colleague from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

In Oregon, we know that a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami will
occur some day in the Cascadia subduction zone. The question is not a
matter of if, but when. Although no one can predict when the Cascadia
fault will rupture, we can and we must prepare.

This legislation will help to ensure that local and regional
decision-makers have the tools and information they need to develop
mitigation and response plans to this ever present threat, and to
communicate these plans to the public in an effective and efficient
manner.

For distant tsunami events, this bill will advance research efforts
related to improving forecasting, detection, and notification. It adds
port and harbor operations as entities to be safeguarded by tsunami
forecasting capabilities.

This bill will also support research needed to improve our
understanding of local tsunami events. A local tsunami--one that is
generated just off the coast--has a travel time of less than 30
minutes. This is the kind of tsunami most likely to have widespread and
devastating impacts on the U.S. coast and on the Caribbean.

In the 10 years since tragedy struck in the Indian Ocean region, we
have made significant strides in our understanding of how to prepare
for, mitigate, and respond to a tsunami.

I have no doubt that the progress we have made, in large part through
NOAA's efforts under the Tsunami Warning and Education Act, has
enhanced the safety of our community and has the potential to save
lives. This good work must be continued, and our bipartisan bill will
provide ongoing assistance to protect our coastal communities from the
impact of a tsunami.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting
this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to again thank and
acknowledge my cosponsor, Mr. Rohrabacher from California, and the
chairman and ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee for bringing this bill forward.

I want to again recognize that 10 years have passed since the tragedy
that befell the Indian Ocean region and also take a moment to remember
the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a tsunami whose
effects were felt on the western coast of the United States.

We must be mindful of those lessons learned from past disasters and
give our constituents the necessary tools to prepare for future tsunami
events.

In Seaside, Oregon, the schools are in the tsunami inundation zone.
We must do what we can to support the vital research and advancements
in forecasting that will give local communities the resources they need
to prepare and be more resilient.

I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of
my time.

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