Exposed towns, cities and even nations, such as The Netherlands, have slowly
 and quietly been building up storm surge defenses to protect themselves for
 decades, averting millions of dollars in damages as a result.

 This story originally appeared on ENR.com. The Thames Barrier protects London. Designed by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton, the barrier consists of nine concrete piers and gates stretching 1,700 feet across the river. The piers house hydraulic machinery that can raise 60-foot-tall gates in 30 minutes to block the surge tide coming up the Thames Estuary. When not in use, the gates rest in concrete sills flush

Work is well under way on the 320-bed facility being constructed by Partners in Health, a Boston-based nonprofit group. Constructing any major hospital is a challenge, but building a 320-bed state-of-the-art teaching hospital for $16 million in the highlands of Haiti is fraught with difficulties. Haitian workers are learning U.S.-style construction, tempered by budget and supply-chain realities. The design, donated by Nicholas Clark Architects, uses natural ventilation and solar power to counter spotty electrical service. HVAC is used sparingly because of power limitations and a lack of HVAC maintenance services in Mirebalais. Yet the aid group Partners in Health (PIH)

The Action Plan for National Recovery and Development recognizes short-, medium- and long-term needs and proposes to set up a Temporary Committee for Rebuilding Haiti, which will eventually become the Agency for the Development of Haiti. It also sets up a Multiple Donor Fiduciary Fund, which will allow for a “coordinated and coherent approach” to the formulation of programs and projects as well as their financing and execution. The most immediate need, however, is to provide safe shelter for people now homeless. Intense seasonal rains are expected in early May, and the hurricane season begins on June 1. Both pose

Herb McKim Herbert (Herb) Pope McKim, FAIA, died March 3 at his home in Wilmington, North Carolina after a gradual decline in health. He was a founding partner at Ballard, McKim & Sawyer Architects, where he worked for 45 years. He was known as a tenacious defender of design intent, a Modernist with big ideas and a portfolio of government and institutional facilities. “Nothing intimidated him, as far as architectural scope of work or ideas,” says George C. (Chip) Hemingway, an architect who worked under McKim for many years. “He had his vision and he did all he could do

Scramble to save lives and sustain survivors leaves questions unanswered about how recovery will be led. ...months. The work of sorting out land tenure and building ownership may be able to begin in about six months but could take as long as five years. Meanwhile, transitional shelters, health clinics, schools, hospitals and community and civic structures will need to start construction within six to nine months, with construction of permanent housing ongoing for one to five years. Image © Unosat/Meti&NASA 2009 Density of post-quake bridge, road blockages in Port-au-prince on Jan. 13, 2010. Related Links: Structural Engineers Survey Devastation UN

Scramble to save lives and sustain survivors leaves questions unanswered about how recovery will be led. ...Command (NAVFAC) division in Norfolk, Va. It has several contracts in place with private-sector firms to support the Haiti effort if task orders are issued, according to Jim Brantley, division director for public affairs and communications for NAVFAC. Atlantic Contingency Constructors, LLC, Virginia Beach, Va., Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Greenville, S.C., and URS-IAP LLC, Washington, D.C., hold a $1-billion global contingency construction contract with NAVFAC. It includes providing engineering and construction services for disaster recovery. Image © Unosat/Meti&NASA 2009 Density of post-quake bridge, road blockages

Scramble to save lives and sustain survivors leaves questions unanswered about how recovery will be led. ...hampering the delivery of aid, he noted the U.S. government has been particularly helpful in assisting the Haitian government with restoring and maximizing airport services. “The control tower has been damaged, while the runway was okay. Therefore, the United Nations is very closely coordinating with the U.S. authorities to have a smooth operation, and I am grateful that the United States government has been swiftly and effectively dealing with this in close coordination with the United Nations,” he said. Photo © BFP Engineers Inc

Scramble to save lives and sustain survivors leaves questions unanswered about how recovery will be led. The leaders of the U.S. earthquake response effort in Haiti say they expect it will be “several weeks” before the effort shifts from a first-response life- support mission to planning for recovery, but when it comes, that phase “will involve all the military and civilian subject-matter experts.” Photo © BFP Engineers Inc / Eduardo Fierro Second- and third-floor beam-column joints without shear reinforcement in this five-story building in Haiti failed. Related Links: Structural Engineers Survey Devastation UN Releases Map Showing Damage in Haiti Haiti

“The President is alive but has nowhere to live.” That was U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s stark assessment of Haitian President Rene Preval’s situation Thursday and it applied to hundreds of thousands of Haitians who had survived the quake but faced immediate problems of surviving. Government buildings in Haiti were severely damaged and the nation’s infrastructure, never solid, was in tatters. “There is no communications system,” said Clinton. “We are attempting to help set up a communications capability for the government." Corporacion Quiport S.A. Ecuadorian army personnel gather up items to ship to Haiti. Related Links: Assessing the Damage

...search-and-rescue efforts, preventing spread of diseases and providing food and shelter, in my opinion, takes precedence over reconnaissance efforts.” Naeim says the situation on the ground needs to be stabilized first before a reconnaissance team can do its job. “I believe that although reconnaissance teams from the U.S. are and will be assembled, it will take considerable time before they will be dispatched,” he says. Degenkolb Engineers is assembling its own team. There are no specific plans yet but Chris D. Poland, chairman and CEO of the San Francisco-based firm, says he expects to deploy a team in a few