# What the Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025 Actually Does

This bill updates and strengthens the nation's tsunami warning and preparedness systems. Think of it as a major upgrade to the infrastructure that detects tsunamis and alerts people in coastal areas when danger is coming. The bill focuses on three main goals: making warnings faster and more accurate, improving research to better understand tsunamis, and helping communities prepare for these disasters.

The most practical change affects how quickly and clearly you'd get warned about a tsunami. The bill requires the government to evaluate whether current warning language and timing actually make sense to people in at-risk communities—basically asking "do people understand what we're telling them and do they act on it?" If the current system isn't working well, they'll update it. The bill also requires a review of whether NOAA Weather Radio coverage actually reaches all the populated coastal areas that could be hit by tsunamis. Additionally, it mandates that backup warning systems be tested twice a year to ensure they work if the main system fails. For people living in tsunami-prone areas, this means more reliable alerts and clearer instructions about what to do.

Behind the scenes, the bill modernizes the technology and coordination between different agencies. It requires the tsunami warning centers to use newer computer systems and standardize their products so information is consistent whether you're in Alaska, Hawaii, or the Atlantic coast. The bill also expands the types of data being used—adding satellite positioning systems to the traditional earthquake sensors—which should help detect tsunamis that aren't caused by earthquakes alone. Finally, it dedicates funding ($32 million annually through 2030) to research programs and state-level preparedness efforts, with at least 27 percent going to help states improve their local tsunami hazard mitigation and community education.

Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025

Bonamici, Suzanne

Tsunami Warning, Research, and Education Act of 2025This bill reauthorizes through FY2030 the federal tsunami program and expands its activities relating to warnings, hazard mitigation, and research. A tsunami is a series of waves created by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean.The bill reauthorizes the tsunami program that is generally administered by the National Weather Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in collaboration with public and certain private entities across the U.S. and internationally. &nbsp;Also, the bill expands federal&nbsp;tsunami forecast and warning activities&nbsp;to include&nbsp;<ul><li>integration of global navigation satellite system information into forecasting,</li><li>broader interagency coordination on earthquake assessments and warnings,&nbsp;</li><li>updates to tsunami inundation maps to support mitigation and recovery,&nbsp;</li><li>outreach from regional and local weather forecast offices to help prepare coastal communities,</li><li>provision of a Tsunami Warning Coordinator by tsunami warning centers to coordinate with partners and stakeholders, and&nbsp;</li><li>tsunami alerts through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.</li></ul>In addition, the bill expands authorized federal&nbsp;tsunami hazard mitigation activities by specifying that regional risk assessments may include digital elevation models for at-risk coastline and evaluation of the impacts of tsunami debris and sediment.&nbsp;The bill also requires&nbsp;the program's tsunami research component&nbsp;to develop a data portal, decision support tools, and, every three years, a research and development plan to improve detection and forecasting.