This bill reauthorizes and modernizes the Tsunami Warning and Education Act, which expired in 2023. The legislation expands the program's scope to include tsunami research and strengthens warning capabilities by requiring the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to incorporate advanced technologies like global navigation satellite systems, improve data management and sharing, and coordinate with multiple federal agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. The bill also mandates that NOAA evaluate whether tsunami alert terminology and timing are effective in prompting appropriate community responses and requires regular updating of tsunami inundation maps and models to support coastal communities. The legislation authorizes $32 million annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2028, with at least 27 percent dedicated to state-level hazard mitigation activities and at least 8 percent for tsunami research. This bill affects coastal communities, emergency management agencies, and the agencies responsible for detecting and warning about tsunami threats across the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Ocean regions.
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