Sri Lanka - has yet to install its own system, but relies on warnings sent by the Pacific center, which is based in Hawaii, and a similar institution in Japan, a tsunami official there said.
The plan calls for the information to passed to villages via phone or the national media. Most Buddhist shrines, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques along Sri Lanka - 's coast have had sirens fitted to them to help spread the word, the official said.
Associated Press reporter Chris Brummitt contributed to this report from Jakarta.