Before you jump on the crucify-the-NOAA bandwagon, keep in mind the tsunami was travelling at 800 km/h, and practically speaking, the government would not have had enough time to warn the poor people on the seashore, lacking any kind of civil defense siren system.

The post-mortem on government communications looks eerily similar to the one found by the 9-11 commission. I am not sure how constructive inquests done with the benefit of hindsight really are, in any case.

Fazal:

My issue was NOT/is NOT with US NOAA. I will take their word at face value that they tried to reach people but no system was in place.

But I take issue with the Indian authorities and the general public. The distrust and cynicism is so widesread that no meaningful actions could be taken even if we had all the time and means to spread the information. Just now I read a news item at MSN that India falsely issued a tsunami warning, but the Science and Technology minister blames a US research firm for it.

Let me narrate events from long time back. When I was growing up in Madurai, the authorities will issue warning that they will release water in the Vaigai river (a dry river bed actually). But they would have cried wolf enough times so that those who had setup huts on the river bed would ignore those warnings and will be flooded and loose supplies and livestock.

How come in America they issue warning and almost all heed them. Are US citizenry that much mature? Are Indians foolhardy? Who fail India - administrators or the public? I say in any event it us who are failing India.

Happy New Year!

A good part of the problem is that the Indian administrative apparatus is mostly inherited from the British, and it was not originally designed for the benefit of the Indian people, to put it mildly...