Tsunami: Did it happen before?

It is possible that India's own version of Atlantis may have been swallowed up by a past tsunami.

For generations, the people of Poompuhar have spoken of the days when their sleepy fishing town was the capital of a powerful kingdom, and traders came from Rome, Greece and Egypt to deal in pearls and silk. Then, more than 1,500 years ago, it was gone. The thriving town, according to ancient Tamil-language texts, was "kodalkol" -- "swallowed by the sea."..."Nobody knew what had happened," said Murugaiyan, a 38-year-old fisherman whose family has long talked of a long-gone kingdom. On December 26, though, it all became clear to him, when the tsunami slammed into coastlines across Asia and Africa. "Now I know," he said. "It must have been another tsunami." At least 170 people died in Poompuhar when last month's tsunami hit. More than 150,000 other people died across nearly a dozen countries.

This is a good reminder that this tsunami is not some kind of world-ending event. It is horrible, but it has happened before. And unfortunately, it will probably happen again, at some point. Thus, Senator Lieberman's proposal to form an Indian Ocean early warning system is very wise.