How To Help?

Experts agree that there is a "place for sophisticated new design and technology -- but only when and where local traditions and ways of building and living cannot be readily adapted to cope with future emergencies.

'It's always sad when you lose architectural and craft traditions in areas of the world that have been developed over a thousand years or more and replace them with a culture of concrete boxes, converted containers and factory-built home with no character,' says Lubkowski. 'Experience from tsunamis in Hawaii has shown that traditional building types can be modified without undermining the way they look. They can be raised above the predicted flood line, for example; they can be anchored like a ship at bay; and they can be designed to flex to withstand storms.' "