This is exactly the kind of statement that came in the days after 9/11 with reference to NORAD ("It would not have been difficult for NORAD to launch jets and shoot down these airliners hours before they crashed into the towers" etc.), and: I don't think it does any good to speculate on things like this without any supporting evidence. The various reports I've read seem to all point to some main points:
- Tsunamis are rare in other than the Pacific - No one has a concerted effort for tsunami warning nets in other
than the Pacific - There were people who knew what might be happening, but there
was no mechanism to call the right people - The US Navy didn't have anyone to call
KJ Khoo wrote:
> The quake happened around 8:00am local time Sunday. The first
> wave arrived at Phuket (Thailand) and Penang (Malaysia) a few
> hours later ...
I've been trying to find a good timeline, but the best I could do is here:
http://newswww.bbc.net.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4126327.stm
It says that Phuket was hit in less than half an hour after the quake. The style of their time references seems to indicate when they _heard_ things had happened, not when they actually happened, but at 500km/hr it doesn't take long for the wave to make it across the ocean. Their timeline says it was 3.5 hours after the quake that "reports emerged" about Sri Lanka, but I'm guessing it was much sooner.
Here's an animation that seems to indicate that Sri Lanka was hit within 90 minutes:
http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/animation.gif
Let's try to keep some perspective here ...
/jordan
