Gordon Responds to Administration Announcement on U.S. Tsunami Warning System
(Washington, DC) In response to the Administration’s announced plan today to expand the United States’ tsunami warning system to the Atlantic region, Science Committee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) issued the following statement:
"At first glance the Administration’s plan appears to include the components of a much needed national system. Deployment of tsunami detection buoys and expansion of earthquake detection sensors in the Atlantic and Caribbean will allow us to detect tsunamis anywhere along the U.S. coastline."
"But a truly comprehensive warning system should be about more than technical hardware. Communities must have plans in place to respond to warnings and a public education program must ready individuals to react. I am pleased to see the Administration’s plan acknowledges the importance of NOAA’s Tsunami Ready Communities program. State and local governments are on the front lines in the event of an emergency and must be equipped to quickly translate warnings into actions and responses that save lives."
"Any plan put forth must be complete in its approach to be effective. In addition to local preparedness, we must also acknowledge current fiscal realities. With limited dollars and tight budgets, we need to fully understand the resource needs of the Administration’s program and how meeting those needs may impact other important programs at NOAA and USGS."
"I look forward to exploring the details of this proposal when the Administration appears before the Committee on Science. I understand it is Chairman Boehlert’s intention to hold a hearing on January 26th, which would be one of the first formal hearings on this topic."
Related Subcommittees
Next Article Previous Article