Setting up a warning system in the countries devastated by the killer tsunami on Sunday is a challenging task as they have limited resources and an efficient method would be required to alert hundreds of coastal communities, an expert has said.

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Such systems require integrated earthquake and tide and wave gauges and computer models which can quickly project where tsunamis may travel, a tsunami expert affiliated with University of Hawaii, Dr George D Curtis said.

Even more challenging is the need to create an efficient method to alert hundreds of coastal communities and educational efforts to be sure that residents heed the alarm, he was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

That is easier to do in wealthy countries like the United States and Japan than in developing countries, where the vulnerability is enormous and resources limited.

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"Even if you have the technical system in place, you have to have people prepared to react immediately," he said.

Though it is not easy to predict earthquakes, once the ground starts shaking, it is possible to send signals to critical facilities like pipelines and power plants to shut down operations.

Such systems are in place in Japan and sirens are used to warn people in coastal areas prone to tsunamis, he said.