For a truly compelling set of photos of the devastation, see those taken by an EERI (Earthquake Engineering Research Institute) team, posted March 26. They will give you some feel for what the victims experienced and a better appreciation of what recovery will entail.

See Phil Palin’s blog today in HLSwatch.com titled Japan moves from response to recovery. In the Prime Minister’s speech, he notes the following actions to be taken:

• elevate new structures

• eco focus for new construction

• special council to be establish regarding needed land use decisions

• nationalization (essentially eminent domain powers)  of devastated land that is abandoned or excluded from past uses

• coordination with local government

Some of these are quick bold measures, and ones we have not seen used in the U.S. for recovery.  In my view, the emphasis on expediting land use change and rebuilding are something the U.S. should be paying attention to.

Some additional information about the focus on clean energy and other measures aimed at promoting recovery and restoration will be noted in the next few postings.

Related Articles

• After the flood: triage for disaster recovery (newscientist.com)
• Ellen Brown: Why the Japanese Government Can Afford to Rebuild: It Owns the Largest Depository Bank in the World (huffingtonpost.com)
• Firms Seek Loans to Rebuild in Japan (online.wsj.com)