The terrible disaster that occurred on December 26, 2004 in the regions bordering the Indian Ocean alerted the whole world to the importance of an early warning system. Many lives could have been saved if such a system had been in place. As it was, however, huge tsunami waves inundated the coastal areas of Sumatra, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and even Africa. These waves were generated by a Richter magnitude 9.0 earthquake in the deep ocean off the coast of Sumatra in an area where the Burma continental plate overrides the Indian continental plate. A sudden thrust caused the ocean floor to rise suddenly an estimated fifty feet. This resulted in a tsunami wave that travelled at 300 mph in all directions. People were caught completely unaware of the impending onslaught. Over 100,000 lives were lost in a matter of minutes as the water inundated three-story buildings and caused indescribable devastation. Massive relief efforts from around the world are being mobilized to meet the emergency to alleviate the suffering, disease, and homelessness.
An early warning system has been in place for several years to detect tsunamis in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii and the northern California coast are especially vulnerable, and so a complicated system of buoys and sensors have been installed that are capable of detecting the magnitude, speed, and direction of such tectonically generated waves. Early warning systems have also been used in time of war or national emergency. During WWII the air raid siren was used in England and France to warn of an impending air raid, and people would flock to underground bomb shelters. Warning sirens were also installed here in the United States during the cold war and the missile crisis. People were instructed to take shelter and children were drilled to hide under desks in case of an atomic bomb attack. Some spent large sums of money to construct elaborate bomb shelters, and the government established alternate, underground command centers in case of an atomic attack. Even today, we have established a Homeland Security organization to deal with the threat of a terrorist attack. A color-coded warning system has been adopted to respond to an imminent threat.
The people who died in the Indian Ocean disaster had no warning of the coming onslaught. We are told that a similar situation will exist at the end of the world. People will be engaged in their everyday activities completely unaware of the coming destruction and their everlasting doom. But God has given us ample warning that His coming is near at hand. The sirens are screaming; earthquakes, floods, famines, the sea and the waves roaring tell us that we should wake up for our redemption draws near, that whether we know it or not, we are living under a divine "red alert."
