U.S. announces plans for upgraded tsunami warning system
JOHN HEILPRIN, Associated Press Writer
Friday, January 14, 2005
(01-14) 15:10 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
The Bush administration unveiled a $37.5 million plan Friday to erect a tsunami warning system designed to protect both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts by mid-2007.
The plan would quadruple the size of the warning network in the Pacific and erect similar safeguards for the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf coasts, officials of the White House science office said. Operating it would cost about $24.5 million a year.
To help monitor for waves from a tsunami, the plan envisions a network of 38 high-tech buoys attached to pressure recorders on the ocean floor. Twenty-five buoys would be added to the six now in the Pacific, including two as back-ups to existing ones off the coast of Alaska.
Five new ones would be installed in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Caribbean Sea to provide coverage also for the Gulf of Mexico. None now exist in those areas.
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