The U.S. tsunami warning network, one of the nation’s most vital yet overlooked defense systems, is falling apart just as climate-driven disasters are rising in frequency and scale.

Chronic underfunding, aging equipment, and staff shortages are eroding the country’s ability to detect and respond to oceanic threats — a vulnerability that scientists warn could prove catastrophic for coastal communities from Hawaii to Alaska and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

“This system is our first line of defense,” said a former NOAA official familiar with operations at the National Tsunami Warning Center. “Right now, it’s running on borrowed time.”

A System Built on Sensors - and Shortages

The Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) network — a chain of nearly 40 sensor buoys stretching across the Pacific and Atlantic — forms the backbone of the U.S. early warning system.

But internal reports show that more than one-third of those buoys are offline due to mechanical failures, delayed maintenance, or vandalism, leaving critical gaps in detection coverage.

Each buoy can cost up to $500,000 to repair or replace, and with funding cuts across NOAA’s tsunami program, many have been left in disrepair.

In one case earlier this year, a DART station off the coast of Oregon went silent for weeks after its communication antenna failed. By the time a replacement was deployed, data continuity was lost — a risk that could mean minutes of delay in a real event, the difference between safety and catastrophe.

“If a major quake struck off the Aleutian Islands tomorrow, we wouldn’t see it as fast as we should,” said Dr. Laura Samson, a coastal hazard scientist at the University of Washington.

Human Gaps Compound the Problem

Budget constraints are also gutting staffing across the National Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, Alaska, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu. Retirements and hiring freezes have left both centers struggling to maintain 24-hour coverage.

That’s especially concerning given the system’s expanding scope — tasked not only with issuing tsunami alerts but also monitoring storm surges, underwater landslides, and deep-ocean seismic events that can trigger far-reaching waves.

“We’re at a point where we’re asking fewer people to do more with less technology,” said Samson. “That’s not a recipe for preparedness.”

Climate Change Raises the Stakes

The degradation comes as climate change intensifies coastal risks. Warming oceans are fueling stronger storms and rising sea levels, which amplify the destructive power of even minor tsunamis.

Recent modeling from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) shows that a 9.0-magnitude quake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone could send a wall of water into coastal Washington and Oregon within 15 to 20 minutes — leaving virtually no margin for system failure.

In 2011, the tsunami triggered by Japan’s Tōhoku earthquake reached the U.S. West Coast in less than 10 hours, causing $100 million in damage despite being half a world away. Scientists warn the next wave may not give such warning time.

“Every hour our system stays degraded increases the chance we’ll be blind when it matters most,” said a senior NOAA analyst.

A Warning Ignored

Congress has repeatedly acknowledged the issue but failed to act. The Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act, first passed in 2017, was renewed last year without a corresponding increase in funding.

That means the program — operating on roughly $30 million a year — is covering a global network on a budget smaller than a single F-35 jet.

“We’re protecting millions of lives with 20th-century tools,” said John Vidale, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. “And we’re doing it on pennies.”

Some state officials have begun developing regional solutions. California’s Office of Emergency Services is piloting a localized early warning system integrated with smartphone alerts, while Hawaii is upgrading siren networks tied to real-time seismic data. But without a functional national backbone, those systems remain partial and fragmented.

The Takeaway

America’s tsunami warning system is deteriorating at the worst possible moment — when oceanic and seismic risks are climbing, climate volatility is accelerating, and emergency response budgets are shrinking.

The U.S. has engineers capable of building satellites that orbit Mars, yet the network meant to warn citizens of an incoming wall of water is literally rusting in the ocean.

“You can’t stop a tsunami,” Samson said. “But you can see it coming. And right now, we’re choosing not to.”