If the entire city was damp and waterlogged following the disaster, as well as the number of bloated corpses located after, then indeed the flooding was not "quite closely confined". This is just simple reason.

To quote the spirit of the Muurn at the time of the release of the waters:

"The candy lady did it! Now I can kill everyone, right?"
"Wake up! Wake up! It's time to feed! Make the mountains bleed!"

The 'candy lady' in reference would be the mass murderer that orchestrated the entire flooding, Skye B. Anchors, a worshipper of the Sea.

To quote those that recorded the events, the wave that descended upon Cyrene was about ten-feet tall and slammed into the city's streets. Almost the entirety of your city's guards drowned that day, as did a large majority of your populace.

The damage from Hailqas'an was equivalent to rubble of a blown tank and indeed did stretch down the roads. The only structure to collapse was your clock-tower. In comparison to rubble and a collapsed clocktower, I am sure you can see which is more significant.

I am not even of your city, architect, yet I know the history of its walls better than you it seems. Perhaps you are aware but are merely another puppet for your city's council, attempting to rewrite events to put themselves in a better light. The attempts of false memory and use of propaganda of New Cyrene are noted and acknowledged.

It seems this entire discussion has gone on long enough, and just as Cyrene and its people before; it has reached its end.

May it rest in peace,
Asmodron

Penned by my hand on the 9th of Miraman, in the year 836 AF.