EERI supports the continued funding of the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NTHMP) through the reauthorization of the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act (TWERA).
The NTHMP typically provides $6M/year in partner grant funding to 27 US states and territories at risk of tsunamis. Past partner grants have supported local tsunami education programs, tsunami alerting, hazard modeling, evacuation, mitigation, and recovery planning, among other initiatives. This year (FY24), only $4M has been allocated for NTHMP partner grants, straining the ability of the program to maintain its important work. Next year (FY25), the NTHMP has been zeroed out in President Biden’s budget and NOAA’s blue book, effectively eliminating the program. Reduction or elimination of the NTHMP will critically hamper the efforts of states, tribal governments, and territories to improve Tsunami Design Zone maps and standards used in building codes.
EERI strongly urges the U.S. Senate to:
- Support H.R. 6093 to reauthorize the 2017 Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act (TWERA), recently passed by the US House of Representatives.
- Petition NOAA to fully fund ($6M) the NTHMP partner grants program in FY24 and FY25, which will help address tsunami evacuation tower mitigation efforts and other State activities.
EERI submitted this letter of support (PDF) for the continued funding of the NTHMP based on the recommendation of our Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. This letter of support is well aligned with EERI’s newest policy positions statement, adopted by the Board in December 2023:
