Waves washed over the wall ...
dragging it piece by piece into the sea. On March 11, 2011, this 34-foot-tall, 1.5-mile-long concrete seawall in the coastal town of Taro, Japan, was no match for the tsunami waves. Only eight buildings still stand in Taro, and half of its population of 1,800 is missing.
Geography Professor Pradyumna P. Karan, who took the photo above on one of his summer seminar trips with UK students over the past 20 years, says: “The horror of this event is only magnified by the fact that Japan is one of the most prepared countries for natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. They build quake-proof skyscrapers, they build sea fortifications, they have advanced warning systems. Until this disaster, the Japanese have been able to protect themselves with technology, but Nature always has the last word.” Read More »
What's Inside
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stimulus research
UK has received $111.5 million in competitive federal grant funding through ARRA. How will it impact you? Read More »
energy research
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