Tsunameters and other warning systems

Worldchanging.com has a fairly detailed story on the technology that's currently available to detect Tsunamis.

However the most noteworthy point that the story makes is this:

One of the downfalls of the tsunami warning system is that it assumes centralized emergency infrastructures for member nations, so that when the ITIC sends an alert, responsible parties pay attention and respond appropriately. While this kind of centralized structure is effective when it works, it is open to the single-point-of-failure problem witnessed this week. If the emergency authority is not available, there's nowhere to turn.