But if there had been a Pacific-style alert system covering the Indian Ocean, there would have been enough time for the people in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh Thailand and India to save their lives from the deadly tsunami tidal waves.
Tsunami is a giant wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. Energy from the quake creates the initial wave that splits into two. One wave moves out into the ocean, while the other heads toward the shore. Most Tsunamis do not create giant breaking waves on shore. Instead, they generate very fast and strong tides that make sea level rise quickly.
Officials of the affected countries failed to issue broad public warnings immediately after a massive undersea earthquake in Indonesia that could have saved countless lives from the subsequent giant waves that smashed nine countries. The tidal waves began pummelling southern Thailand about one hour after the earthquake.
After 2 1/2 hours, the torrents travelled 1000 miles and slammed Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The tidal waves also struck Somalia on the east coast of Africa. The death toll topped 1 lakh with millions of people left homeless.
Scientists in the region recorded Sunday's earthquake. But without ocean sensors tracking path of the waves, there was no way to determine the direction Tsunami would travel. Such a system presumes an organised communication system and widely understood procedures and discipline by the local authorities to clear the coastline quickly in case of a coming disaster.
Unfortunately, there was no international warning system in place to track the tidal waves in the Indian Ocean.
The magnitude of 9.0 earthquake, the largest in 40 years, shifted huge geological plates beneath the sea north-west of Sumatra island, causing a massive and sudden displacement of millions on tons of water.
After thousands of people have lost their lives and millions became shelterless, the governments in the region should develop an organised communication system that should inform the coastal authorities in advance the true nature of Tsumani tidal waves, which should determine the exact path of the waves in order to save the precious human lives from a similar disaster in future.