The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today emphasized that proposed cuts to its tsunami warning system would not affect its ability to alert the public to impending disasters.

The agency would cut about $4.6 million from its tsunami programming under the White House's proposed fiscal 2013 budget. Among other things, the proposal would decrease funding for a system that ensures early detection through ocean buoys.

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility publicized the cuts yesterday, questioning whether the proposal would jeopardize public safety (E&ENews PM, Feb. 22). The watchdog group criticized reductions to NOAA's Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) network and the Tsunami Warning and Environmental Observatory for Alaska.

But in a response today, NOAA argued that such cuts would not affect "mission critical" activities.

"NOAA will continue working in close partnership with other state and federal agencies on community-based tsunami preparedness, particularly through the TsunamiReady program," the agency said in a statement, referring to a program that helps communities prepare for tsunamis. "The mission critical operations of seismic detection and warning development and communication systems were prioritized in the budget."

But the agency conceded that the cuts would affect the reliability of its DART network, which comprises 39 buoys that provide real-time information to scientists. The program's goal is to keep 80 percent of the buoys operable, but under the proposed cuts, that number would slip to 72 percent.

Nine of the 39 buoys are currently inoperable, but four are scheduled to be serviced in June "as sea and weather conditions permit."

"DART buoys are helpful in the warning process because they give forecasters confirmation of the existence of a tsunami when the wave passes over the DART," the agency said. "However, the most critical observation tool for tsunami warnings are the seismic stations. People are not warned about tsunamis based on DART information, so this funding cut will not impact issuing warnings."

As for the Tsunami Warning and Environmental Observatory for Alaska -- known as TWEAK -- the agency argued that funding to the facility was always meant to end by fiscal 2013. The program was first funded through an earmark by then-Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), as a way to raise public awareness and preparedness. Since then, it has been funded through a "series of supplemental funding sources" -- and none could be found for fiscal 2013.

"People are more aware of tsunamis and better prepared to respond to a tsunami threat due to the successful implementation of this program, which was always scheduled be completed by the end of FY12," the agency said.

NOAA also pointed out that the program only covers the seismic network operated by the University of Alaska. But PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch argued that the need for community preparedness is not one that diminishes over time.