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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Resident Commissioner Pierluisi Announces the Allocation of $1 Million in Federal Funds to Ensure that Puerto Rico is “Tsunami-Ready”

Washington, DC—Today, Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has allocated more than $1 million in federal funding for Fiscal Year 2012 to help Puerto Rico respond in the event of a tsunami and to ensure that each of the Island’s 44 coastal municipalities is certified by the federal government as “tsunami-ready.”

NOAA certifies municipalities as “tsunami-ready” once their emergency management officials and residents have been briefed on the areas within the municipalities that are most vulnerable to wave inundation from tsunamis. The Resident Commissioner has already secured the inclusion of language in multiple appropriations bills directing NOAA to allocate additional resources to Puerto Rico improve the Island’s level of preparedness. The funds allocated by the federal government are a result of these efforts.

“I have been leading efforts in Congress to ensure that all of Puerto Rico’s coastal municipalities are certified as “tsunami-ready.” To date, only half of these municipalities have obtained this certification. However, these funds will enable additional municipalities to meet with requirements for certification,” said Pierluisi.

Specifically, NOAA has awarded a grant of $1,114,930 to the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, the location of Puerto Rico’s Seismic Network. Funding will be used to update tsunami inundation maps of the Island according to guidelines set by the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation and Tsunami-Ready Programs. These maps include local geological faults, landslides, and regional teleseismic sources. In addition, English and Spanish evacuation maps will be distributed to Puerto Rico’s tsunami-threatened communities.

Moreover, this funding will be utilized to improve the training provided to emergency managers, communities and operators of critical facilities in Puerto Rico about tsunami hazards and to empower these individuals to prepare for and respond to tsunamis.