Dear Nadarajan was it not a cyclone combined with an intruding sea? technically a tsunami. the buddha bikshu asks the peope of nagapattinam waiting outside his vihara" look at the sea its going to come inside the land any moment" the first thing that struck me when I heard of the tsunami of dec 26 was this scene.(I was actually very near the scene - just off karikal when the tsunami struck) venketesh