April 12 – Another Day, Another Aftershock or Two

The daily aftershocks in Tohoku continue to erode buildings and nerves.

Yasue sent me this picture today showing the cracking that continues to worsen in many buildings with each passing aftershock.
 
On Oct. 15, 2006, Hawaii suffered a 6.7 magnitude earthquake off the Big Island coast. Seven minutes later, an aftershock measuring 6.0 rocked the Islands. The quake caused damage to homes, businesses, roads, irrigation systems and more as well as landslides and power outages from the Big Island to Oahu. It was a major news event covered by the national media.
 
Since the killer 9.0 quake struck Tohoku on March 11, northeast Japan has suffered through 52 aftershocks of a magnitude of 6.0 or greater. That’s an average of nearly two major quakes a day. Many have gone unreported. For Tohoku residents, none have gone unnoticed.
 
How do you begin the rebuilding process when the buildings continue to crumble?