Warning systems help alert public

Wednesday's 8.6 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks off the coast of Indonesia put Southeast Asia on high alert-- luckily, it was for a tsunami that never came.

In Sri Lanka a fully functioning disaster management centre worked to alert the masses.

(SOUNDBITE) (Sinhala) SARATH LALKUMARA , THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR (MEDIA) OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT CENTRE SAYING:

"We were informed at 2:27. Within five minutes all the warning towers along the coast were operational. That was the start of taking people to safe areas."

Nearly 30,000 people were killed in this region alone, when a wall of water engulfed the coastline in 2004.

But by Thursday morning, it was business as usual for most residents.

By daybreak in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, the province closest to epicenter, residents say most of their fears had subsided.

And while alerts from regional emergency centers did help move people to safety, the fact remains, there was no tsunami.

Officials hope the incident can serve to further improve emergency conditions.

Julie Noce, Reuters