UNITED NATIONS, July 26 (UPI) -- The U.N. Special Envoy overseeing recovery efforts from last December's devastating Indian Ocean tsunami has renewed a call for an early-warning system.
Former U.S. President Clinton issued the plea following Sunday's powerful earthquake that shook Andaman and Nicobar islands between India and Thailand, severely damaged in last year's tsunami, which killed nearly a quarter of a million people and displaced millions more across 12 countries in the region.
Clinton addressed the U.N. Economic and Social Council earlier this month after returning from a visit to the region, delivering a similar plea.
The United Nations continues to press ahead with efforts to lay the groundwork for an early-warning framework for the region, and in late June, launched the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System. The system, work on which has already begun, is expected to be fully operational by July 2006.
