erosion

The NY Times had an article yesterday entitled Seawalls Offered Little Protection Against Tsunami’s Crushing Waves, that discussed how the seawalls that were designed to protect Japan’s coastlines from tsunamis were completely overwhelmed by the shear force and magnitude of the disaster.  The Japanese plan to protect their coastline was robust and responsible, but unfortunately was no match for mother nature.

Excerpt from the story:

Along with developing quake-resistant buildings, the coastal infrastructure represents postwar Japan’s major initiative against earthquakes and tsunamis . . . the devastation in coastal areas and a final death toll predicted to exceed 10,000 could push Japan to redesign its seawalls — or reconsider its heavy reliance on them altogether . . . the seawalls at the Japanese plants probably could not handle tsunami waves of the height that struck them . . . the tsunami walls either should have been built higher . . . increasing the height of tsunami walls, he said, is the obvious answer in the immediate term.