I am trying to keep some perspective here, the perspective of living in a country which happened to have been spared.
Friends in Penang (Malaysia) say they felt tremors around 9am MYT. A friend, visiting his mother for Christmas, was at the beach front in Penang, having lunch, and luckily left some 15 minutes before the wave struck. According to him, that was close to 1pm. Yes, a bit surprising as Penang is about 500km from the quake centre (as is Phuket, further to the northwest), one reason why it has an Achehnese community dating from the Dutch war on Acheh back in the 19th century.
Sri Lanka is more than 1500km from the quake centre, and S India, over 2000km. So, it's not exactly Boston to NYC.
Yes, it's more than probable no warning could have helped Acheh/Sumatra, where it is now estimated that the death toll may number in the hundreds of thousands. But elsewhere, moving inland by 1-2 km would have saved tens of thousands.
The NOAA may not have had anyone on their contact list. But, especially with the war on terror, surely Washington would?
Whatever, Washington's response now -- with its own coalition of aid, rather than working through/with the UN and other international bodies -- is reflective of its orientation. The US probably has the expertise and the resources to move more quickly than just about any other agency. In Indonesia, it has had long ties with the military, and Wolfowitz, former ambassador, must still have lots of contacts. Not that my country, other than some NGOs, has done much better in providing speedy assistance to Indonesia.
kj khoo