Darlene Hooley: “I rise today to enter into a colloquy with the subcommittee chairman regarding a program that is important to the…”

“I rise today to enter into a colloquy with the subcommittee chairman regarding a program that is important to the coastal communities in this Nation. Mr. Chairman, less than three weeks ago the world witnessed one of the most devastating natural disasters in history. A giant wave known as a tsunami struck the shore of northwestern New Guinea, killing over 2,000 people and injuring thousands more. Some of us in this body may recall the tsunami that struck Alaska, California, Oregon and Hawaii in 1964, that killed over 120 Americans. Tsunamis are a real and extremely dangerous threat to life in the United States, as well as other countries. In light of the recent New Guinea incident, it is essential that our Nation evaluate its preparedness for a similar event. Over the last 2 years, NOAA has been developing a plan to mitigate the effects of such an event. I look forward to working with the chairman to see that the Federal Government is prepared for such an event.”