People live in dangerous places because it gives them a good income.
Living near the sea holds a risk for people, but without living near the sea they could not catch fish to mmake money.
Living near a volcano holds a risk, but at the same time it has the mos fertile soil there is.
The main thing is that communication has increased a lot, and it is easier to get news about anything happening. People have a desire to know about the disaters of others, as this sells better as good fortune.
In this case the actual damage was very low, and people are used to earthquakes, buildings are prepared for it. The tsunami alarm was picked up by sensationalist media, hoping to gain some days of news.
Having the alarm is a good thing, as it allows people to get to safety.