Congressional support keeps tsunami warning system afloat

This picture shows the disaster zone in Kesennuma, Miyagi prefecture, on June 18, 2011, 100 days after the massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the northeastern coast of the country and sparked the worlds worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. Tokyo Electric Power Co. Saturday halted an operation to clean highly contaminated waste water at a crippled Japanese nuclear plant due to higher-than-expected radiation levels. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/Getty Images)

Earthquakes and the dangerous waves that often follow could affect many Californians living near the coasts

This time of year everyone’s heading to the beach, and probably the last thought on their minds is a Tsunami. But in Congress seismic safety funding was the subject of much debate last week.

Under the purposed Trump budget, the Tsunami early warning system could face cuts of up to 90 percent. The House of Representatives’ appropriations subcommittee voted Thursday to reject ending funding for the U.S. deep-ocean tsunami sensor network.

Earthquakes and the dangerous waves that often follow could affect many Californians living near the coasts. Take Two spoke with Rick Wilson, a senior engineering geologist with the California Geological Survey, about the status of funding for this early warning system and why it’s so important.

Please click on the blue media player above to hear the full interview.