The immediate needs of our brothers and sisters in Japan are paramount right now.. Food, shelter, water and consolation.. I’m sure I can ony imagine a fraction of the sense of loss and horror the Japanese people are feeling. If you are able, I encourage you to donate to the Red Cross, an organization that is on site and providing aid right now.
As for the long-term, over the coming years and decades, I think it is likely that rebuilding will occur, maybe not everywhere, but it will happen. Future tsunamis will also happen on these flat coastal plains. Perhaps there is an opportunity for planners and LAs to design tsunami refuges, artificial 40-foot hills made of the non-recyclable debris of this disaster. These mounds could provide safe havens for communities far from natural high ground and serve as memorials for this horrific disaster.
