Disaster preparedness:

UN lauds Indian Ocean countries

New York, (IBNS): The United Nations humanitarian arm praised the level of preparedness and early warning systems of several Indian Ocean countries following an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday.

"The fact that most people in the affected areas were promptly alerted to the situation and moved to higher ground is testament to the effectiveness of the preparedness actions and early warning system," said the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Indonesia, Ignacio Leon-Garcia.

At least eight countries issued tsunami alerts following an 8.6-magnitude earthquake that struck 437 kilometres off the coast of Sumatra on Wednesday at 3:38 p.m. local time.