The same thing has happened in Hawaii in the past (The city of Hilo, I believe was struck in the early 1900's)
Before the big waves build, the water level often falls in the coastal areas, which can strand fish, which then attacts people who seem to be entranced into thinking heaven is offering them a free meal of sorts.
I can't believe that there wasn't a tsanami warning system in place that could have prevented some of this. Unfortunatly however, even if there was a warning system, many still would have died because of the lack of education, and of course no warning system can be 100% perfect...
This will go down as a horrific event in human history. Sadly, the death and destruction could still get worse.
Scott Evil