Trump Budget Would Nix Tsunami Warning System

The difference in lives saved between tsunamis that hit Crescent City, California in 1964 and 2011 was an early detection and warning system. Now it's up to Congress to save the $12 million system from the proposed cuts in Trump's budget.

1 minute read

July 14, 2017, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


California North Coast

Crescent City, California, location of catastrophic tsunamis in 1964 and 2011. | Nora Yusuf / Shutterstock

Rong-Gong Lin II reports on the fate of a tsunami detection system completed in 2008 and credited with giving hours of warning when a tsunami hit the California coast in 2011. 

"President Trump’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year would end funding to operate the network, which would eventually shut it down," according to Lin. The article includes a lot more detail about how the system works, with its network of surface buoys, anchored sensors, satellites, and terrestrial warning centers. 

As Planetizen documented in an article earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee has rolled out bills recently that include funding for programs and initiatives targeted for cuts by the Trump Administration's draft budget. Neither Lin's article nor a follow-up article in the North Coast Journal had information about whether the House Appropriations Committee would act to save the system.

Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in Los Angeles Times

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6, 2026 - Grist

People walking in downtown St. Louis, walking past shops.

Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment

The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.

November 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

construction near Boston, with machinery digging at large pit.

Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes

Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.

November 10 - GBH

A bridge over the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval

The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.

November 10 - WTOP News

A crowd of people cheering for an unseen performer.

‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds

Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.

November 10 - Chicago Sun Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.