Tsunami Alert System 'useless without communication'

This article reports on the results of a United Nations conference in Perth, Australia, on August 5 2005. Conference participants are reported as saying that a "tsunami warning system will be fully operational in the Indian Ocean by July
2006, but it will be of little use unless nations in the region are ready to
respond to its warnings."



While countries attending the conference have agreed to add dozens of seabed and surface sensors, these will, according to the author,
only be useful if "if warnings can be communicated to coastal communities and if authorities
prepare evacuation plans."



The article states that the new sensors are to be located at centres in 7 different
countries. Plans for a single warning system were, however, abandoned due to
"fierce competition among potential hosts."