Bill-You are absolutely correct! There is only One Power that controls nature, and the course of history.

I do not claim to know the specifics of why G-d allowed the devastating tsunami any more than I know why he allowed Hitler (may he rot), to succeed as far as he did. The ocean does not have free will. As was said by an unspecified "Guest" before, "There are a few principles in Judaism that say this: Megalgilim Zechus Al Yedei Zakai..." folks who have done their utmost to do good are used to be good messengers, to be harbingers of good tidings etc. Vice versa"

So too, "migalgilim chov al yedei chayav" Those who desire to practice evil, are more than happy to sign up, when G-d decides that we have to suffer. But they are held liable for that desire and the thrill they get, as well as the degree of effort they invest to cause pain.

When a community finds itself to have clearly "sinned" albeit unwittingly (eating the non-kosher meat), they are supposed to do honest soul searching, and rectify behaviors that may not be as clearly seen by others. I only brought up the tsunami to express that we are called upon to do soul searching even when we only hear about a catastrophe that has not affected us directly, or to people we know.
It is obvious to practicing Jews that the calamity of the Holocaust was and is the subject of serious introspection, and improvement in our actions. However, to tell that directly to those who experienced the horrors (they already know) is considered using the power of speech to hurt others, and is the epitome of arrogance. That was the reason for my cautious wording:
"Any person who went through the Holocaust is free to do an internal private reckoning, of why they may have been due any sort of suffering. However, when others suffer, the rest of us are only supposed to do our utmost to relieve their suffering." What I meant is we should not point fingers at them. I should have included the statement "As far as ourselves are concerned, in the wake of the Holocaust, the Jewish Community of the diaspora had, and still has much to weigh and consider regarding proper performance of Torah Law!"

We have sustained many tragedies throughout our history (e.g. The Spanish Inquisition) at the hands of many villains. We continue to recognize G-d's direction in these, and we are required to remember them, especially to effect changes in our behavior. This is in no way meant to depress us. We have specific, limited times during the year, that we are supposed to revisit such events, and consider their implications.

I encourage you, if you are genuinely interested in reasonable answers to your questions to follow my previous recommendation that you google the concept of punishment and reward, as well as suffering, according to traditional Torah Judaism. You will undoubtedly also encounter the concept of Free Will in relation to these topics.

Your inquiries are encouraged. Judaism is not based on mindlessness leaps of Faith. Sincere honest research should not be a challenge to true Judaism! It only strengthens it. Keep asking, until you are truly satisfied. If your approach is open-minded, you may be surprised by the "logic and reason" within. There are many serious Torah Scholars who would be happy to take the time to help you find answers to the questions that are posited by your G-d given mind!