By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - American diplomatic, geological and oceanic officials moved swiftly to provide aid and planning assistance when a great earthquake struck near Indonesia.
Just three months after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that killed thousands, the new tremor Monday struck in the same general area and raised fears of another great wave.
Following the December 26 tsunami officials were critical of U.S. preparedness for such an event, calling for better warning systems.
When Monday's quake struck, the U.S. Geological Survey moved quickly to provide details via the Internet and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a warning that the quake has the potential to threaten a devastating wave.
People within about 600 miles of the epicenter of Monday's earthquake near Indonesia should consider evacuating to higher ground, NOAA's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin.
The center does not have tide gauges in the Indian Ocean and said it does not know whether a wave was generated, but said the quake "has the potential to generate a widely destructive tsunami in the ocean or seas."
The State Department said that it had alerted all of its posts in the region.
"Where we are right now is having alerted all our posts, been in contact with all our posts, putting ourselves in battle mode to be in a position where we can know what's going on and act appropriately if and when it's necessary," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.
He said embassy officials in the area have been asking host governments to inquire about any casualties to permit an early U.S. response if the situation calls for it.
Ereli also said there had been no reports of casualties as of Monday afternoon, Washington time.
Pat McCrummen, a spokesman for the American Red Cross in Washington, said the agency confirmed that its workers involved in the relief effort in Indonesia were OK following the latest earthquake. He said Red Cross officials are awaiting further developments before initiating any new relief effort.
"We still have people over there assisting from the first one, and they will be our first line of defense, once we know what kind of damage there is," he said.
Yep, hubby works at Camp Smith. Very busy place at the moment and he couldn't talk. Said he would call back for update when things got a bit calmer.