A stone tablet in Aneyoshi, Japan, warns residents not to build homes below it. Photo source: Ajayisandra.
“High dwellings are the peace and Harmony of our descendants. Remember the Calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any home below this point. Hundreds of these so-called tsunami stones, some more than six centuries old, dot the coast of Japan.” Caption source: Hawaii Tsunami Education program.
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Japan and the World Bank held an international meeting on disaster management, and released a joint study aimed at sharing experiences from last year, when a 9.0-magnitude quake and resulting tsunami crushed the coast and triggered the worst nuclear crisis in a generation.
The government has announced plans to build new houses in upland areas and to offer cash handouts to partially finance housing loans…
Sendai Shares Big Lessons from the Great Quake, IPS
Disasters are by no means the concern only of poor or developing countries, but they often suffer more damage when these occur. World Bank research has shown that developing countries will be hit heavily by disasters from climate change and vast urban growth.
Tsunami Warnings, Written in Stone, The New York Times
Hundreds of so-called tsunami stones, some more than six centuries old, dot the coast of Japan, standing in silent testimony to the past destruction that these lethal waves have frequented upon this earthquake-prone nation. But modern Japan, confident that advanced technology and higher seawalls would protect vulnerable areas, came to forget or ignore these ancient warnings, dooming it to repeat bitter experiences when the recent tsunami struck.
