I heard on the news, or read, that the people at the Pacific Tsunami warning system tried to warn people only AFTER they heard on the news that the tsunami had already happened in Sri Lanka. So, their efforts could have saved lives in the western Indian Ocean and Africa....but it was too late for where the vast majority of the fatalities occured. While obviously I don't trust everything that I hear on the news, the story I heard above seemed accurate because it was in the words of someone at the center.

Chris