Indonesia's response to a massive earthquake and a tsunami scare Wednesday highlights a critical reality: Warning systems and emergency responses have come a long way since the catastrophe of eight years ago.
A look at the day of destruction caused by an earthquake and tsunami off the Japanese coast.
One year ago, the world watched as a massive tsunami engulfed entire communities in northern Japan.
It's the small details in the before-and-after photographs from tsunami-hit Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan that are the most telling. A year later, there's not one power pole, wall-mounted gas meter or roadside curb that hasn't been meticulously attended to.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Monday off the third-largest island in the Philippines has killed at least 15 people, the government said.
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Monday off the third-largest island in the Philippines, prompting the country to issue a tsunami alert for the coastlines near the epicenter.
CNN's Jennifer Delgado details the location of the Sumatra earthquake.
A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the coast of Japan on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck early Friday in the Fiji islands region of the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The East Coast of the United States was shaken up by a moderate earthquake on Tuesday that was felt from Maine to Florida, Virginia to Illinois. On TV we saw people run out of buildings, thinking it might be a terrorist attack. Social media was buzzing with comments and testimonies.
Cell phone networks failed in Tuesday's earthquake in Va. The FCC fears it could happen again because of Irene.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center canceled a tsunami warning less than an hour after it was issued Wednesday for Kermadec Island, Tonga and New Zealand. A tsunami was detected following a major earthquake nearby.
Children orphaned in Japan's tsunami are living a trauma that never ends. CNN's Kyung Lah reports.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday that Japan underestimated the hazard posed by tsunamis to nuclear plants but praised the country's response to the Fukushima Daiichi crisis as "exemplary."
The powerful earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsunami Friday appears to have moved the main island of Japan by 8 feet (2.4 meters) and shifted the Earth on its axis.
iReporter Aaron Lace describes seeing a roof collapse in Tokyo, Japan, as an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck.
Scientists investigate the Japan tsunami aftermath in hopes of finding new ways to save lives. Martin Savidge reports.
Just over a month after the worst natural disaster in modern Japanese history, scientists and researchers are still trying to piece together the mystery of exactly how and why some areas were wiped out by tsunami and others escaped.
Across vast lands filled with mounds of rubble, villagers sort through items caked with mud, trying to salvage traces of their lives before a massive tsunami swept everything away one month ago.
Kawasaki Takeshi tried to hide his eyes as he breaks down. He is reliving the moment the "great wave" chased him and his wife into the hills.
Residents of a Japanese village devastated by two tsunamis try to cope with their loss. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
Authorities issue a tsunami advisory for coastal areas of Miyagi Prefecture after a 6.5-magnitude quake hits the region.
Japanese authorities on Monday called off a tsunami advisory after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake off the country's northeast coast produced little more than ripples.
A tsunami advisory issued in northeast Japan on Monday shook the survivors of a massive earthquake and tidal wave that left thousands dead earlier this month.
Tsunami survivors face the grim task of locating and identifying the dead while trying to move on with their lives.
CNN's Gary Tuchman describes the scene in Kesennuma, Japan, more than a week after the quake and tsunami.
As some in Japan officially kicked off their first work week Monday since its epic earthquake and tsunami, others -- especially in the country's northeast -- grieved the loss of loved ones, kept fleeting hopes that missing could be found alive and tried to come to grips with a disaster that literally tore some communities apart.
CNN's Paula Hancocks reports on the relief effort and new tsunami fears in a Japanese coastal town.
Boats and docks in California suffer some serious damage following a surge from the tsunami that hit Japan.
One person was reported dead and numerous boats and harbors suffered damage in the United States after the tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake off Japan swept across the Pacific Ocean at jet speed Friday.
Tsunami waves that raced across the Pacific Ocean triggered warnings in more than 50 countries and territories Friday, but there were few immediate reports of major damage outside of Japan.
Friends and family are anxious to connect with cruise passengers in the Pacific as tsunamis spawned by Japan's massive earthquake roll through the ocean.
The world is much better prepared today for dealing with the far-away effects of a tsunami, but the severe underwater earthquake Friday would have given residents of nearby northeastern Japan only minutes to respond to a destructive wave of water, according to civil engineering expert Philip Liu.
On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46 p.m. local time, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck just off the east coast of Japan. As a result, tsunami warnings were issued across a majority of the pacific region. This map shows estimated arrival times for tsunami waves at various points, should they occur.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the western coastal areas of the United States and Canada after a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean's Vanuatu Islands region early Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning for the area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan early Wednesday triggered a tsunami warning for a group of remote islands and an advisory for the southern region of the country, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.
The death toll has gone up to 449 after a massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami and leaving hundreds injured, authorities said Sunday.
Village residents hide in the hills after a tsunami, as CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.
Rescue crews have found 135 missing people after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami and leaving hundreds dead, authorities said Saturday.
The toll climbed to 413 dead and 298 missing four days after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia's coast, triggering a tsunami, officials said Friday.
Help trickled in Thursday, three days after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that has killed at least 311 people and left more than 400 missing.
A tsunami warning was canceled Friday for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean when the threat from a 7.2-magnitude earthquake had passed.
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Sunday but did not trigger a tsunami, the National Weather Service said.
Geophysicist Susan Potter talks about the known statistics surrounding an earthquake that hit off the coast of Indonesia.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Wednesday, triggering two tsunamis and injuring several people, officials said.
Three strong earthquakes rocked Chile on Thursday, causing significant damage in at least one city, the country's newly inaugurated president said Thursday.
Strong aftershocks rock Chile as the country swears in a new president. CNN's Rafael Romo reports.
CNN's Kyung Lah says this is the first time in 15 years Japan is evacuating coastal residents.
Tens of thousands of residents began evacuating Sunday morning from coastal Japan in anticipation of a possible tsunami following Chile's 8.8-magnitude earthquake.
Tsunami warnings were canceled for all countries Sunday, a day after a deadly 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Chile, forecasters said.
A girl was pulled from a quake-damaged building in Concepcion, Chile.
12:56 p.m. -- More than 300 people have been confirmed dead in the quake, according to Chile's Office of Emergency Management.
Lessons learned in the 2004 tsunami are being applied in the aftermath of Haiti's earthquake. CNN's Jim Boulden reports.
A strong earthquake Friday rattled Tonga -- and more than a few nerves.
Hugh Williams reports on the devastation in the aftermath of a tsunami in Apia, Samoa.
Joey Cummings talks to CNN's John Roberts about the devastation in American Samoa after it was hit by a tsunami.
Another earthquake struck Wednesday near the Samoan islands, an area already devastated by earthquake and tsunami damage which killed more than 130 people.
Dr. Saloma Laumoli tells CNN about the deaths and damage left by the magnitude 8.0 quake near American Samoa.
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck the Pacific near American Samoa, triggering towering tsunami waves that gushed over the island and leaving at least 22 people dead.
When an earthquake threatens to turn part of an ocean into fast-moving walls of water, tsunami warning scientists can do nothing for the first five minutes except wait for information. But within the next five minutes, they have to decide whether to issue a warning of danger.
Two unrelated earthquakes have triggered tsunami watches in two parts of the world. CNN's Chad Myers reports.
A tsunami watch issued for five nations after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean was canceled about two hours later.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Japan on Thursday, within minutes of a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Powerful quakes in Indonesia recall the 2004 tragedy and prompt worries over whether we're prepared for the next one
The second powerful earthquake in as many days shook western Indonesia Thursday, collapsing buildings in a coastal city and triggering tsunami alerts around the region.
Craig Redmond, Indonesia director of Mercy Corps, updates the situation for residents after a powerful earthquake.
People on the Indonesian island of Sumatra were jolted Thursday by a powerful tremor that prompted the Indonesian government to issue another tsunami warning.
A massive earthquake shook Indonesia on Wednesday, killing seven people, injuring 100 and triggering a small tsunami that hit one city on the island of Sumatra
At least 13 people died in the Solomon Islands Monday after two earthquakes and a tsunami hit the western part of the island-chain nation, the country's chief spokesman said.
Two large back-to-back earthquakes centered in the region of the Solomon Islands triggered a tsunami warning Sunday for a huge part of the Pacific including Australia and Indonesia.
Tsunami alerts issued for the Pacific Basin due to a massive underwater earthquake were lifted hours later Saturday when only minor surges resulted.
Two earthquakes struck off the southwest coast of Taiwan on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster that left more than 200,000 dead.
Although tsunami warnings and watches for parts of Japan and the Pacific Basin were lifted Wednesday, hours after an 8.3-magnitude underwater earthquake struck the region, large waves were reported in Hawaii and on the western coast of the United States.
The following is a list of tsunami warnings and watches following a major earthquake on Wednesday in the Kuril Islands.
Tsunami alerts issued after an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Japan's northern coast have been lifted, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
A strong earthquake has rattled the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, just days after a major quake triggered a deadly tsunami in the region.
The death toll from an earthquake and resulting tsunami that smashed into fishing villages and resorts on Indonesia's Java island has reached 525 with 273 people missing, officials have said.
The death toll from an earthquake and resulting tsunami that smashed into fishing villages and resorts on Indonesia's Java island has reached 340 with more than 200 people missing, officials say.
A major earthquake off the coast of Java and a tsunami that followed has killed at least 155 people, according to Red Cross officials.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck the South Pacific nation of Tonga during a simulated tsunami warning drill Wednesday.
All tsunami warnings issued after a major quake in the southern Pacific Ocean have been canceled, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
A 7.2 earthquake centered in the Nicobar Islands shook the Indian Ocean but did not pose a widespread threat of a tsunami, an official said.
A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Monday southeast of the Loyalty Islands in the South Pacific, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
An earthquake has struck near Indonesia's northern island of Sumatra, triggering fears of new tsunamis, but none were reported.
Why do some earthquakes spawn tsunamis that kill thousands while others hardly stir a ripple on the ocean surface?
A major earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia late Monday, killing hundreds, but fears of another tsunami like those that devastated the region in late December have faded.
Japan's Meteorological Agency has cleared a tsunami warning it issued for the country's eastern coastline after a strong undersea earthquake.
Scientists from around the world have expressed grave concerns about the health of local ecosystems and their ability to sustain survivors of the tsunamis that struck parts of Asia and Africa last month.
The tsunamis that struck after an earthquake under the Indian Ocean took the world by surprise, but the killer waves could have been tracked almost from their birth if warning systems were in place, according to scientists.
A tsunami warning from Indian authorities appeared to be a false alarm, as thousands of panicked residents returned to coastal areas after officials said the warning was meant as advice to be careful, not orders to evacuate.
On Sunday morning, shortly before killer waves reached Sri Lanka and India, a report was transmitted to a monitoring station in Hong Kong.
Here are some facts about tsunamis and earthquakes in general and this specific event, along with historical background:
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