Tsunami-should we have known?

There are no words to describe the death and destruction caused by the tsunami. We boast ourselves to be the zenith of evolution and marvellous in technological advancement. How little we are in front of the Mother Earth - a slight movement of the crustal plate or a meteor from outer space may brush aside human race. More than 150, 000 dead (and expected to rise sharply as tens of thousands of suspected deaths are uncovered) and as many as 5 million peoples lives ruined in 11 countries. Could many of these deaths have been prevented?

Geologist all over the world constantly monitors the Earth for seismic events; in fact there is tsunami-warning system in Hawaii. If they detected the earthquake, why they didn’t use all the possible communication channels (including internet) to warn the authorities and people? A detailed investigation needs to be conducted to know how and why this miscommunication happened to build an effective early warning system (EWS).