National Weather Service Director Testifies at House Science Committee Tsunami Warning Hearing The Assistant Administrator for Weather Services BG David L. Johnson, USAF (Ret.) testified on the NOAA tsunami warning system before a House Science Committee (Chair Sherwood Boehlert, R-NY) January 26 th hearing. In his
National Weather Service Director Testifies at House Science Committee Tsunami Warning Hearing
The Assistant Administrator for Weather Services BG David L. Johnson, USAF (Ret.) testified on the NOAA tsunami warning system before a House Science Committee (Chair Sherwood Boehlert, R-NY) January 26 th hearing. In his
statement he described the NOAA tsunami warning centers in Ewa Beach, HI, and Palmer, AK. Assistant Administrator Johnson said that NOAA operates six buoys to measure tsunamis in the deep ocean and to transmit the information back to the Warning Centers in real time. He noted that at the time of the massive December 26th tsunami “there was no data available from the Indian Ocean to help the warning centers know what was occurring.” The hearing included government and academic experts. Chairman Boehlert, in his opening statement, said: “The Administration is to be applauded for coming forward quickly with a cogent, targeted and affordable proposal to improve tsunami detection for the U.S. and for its commitment to improve tsunami detection internationally.” Full hearing statements are available for hearing witnesses on the House Science Committee website.