Lessons Learned

Firefighters patrol the streets of Natori, where hundreds of homes were swept away.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Japanese troops sift through debris in the coastal town of Minami-Sanriku, searching for survivors and bodies.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

In the Natori area of Sendai government workers uncover two bodies.  (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

A U.S. Marine holds his head as soldiers take a rest after collecting tsunami-driven rubbles in Oshima island, off the coast of Kesennuma city, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan, 06 April 2011. Because of its isolated location, Oshima island still does not have electricity or running water since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit the region on 11 March 2011. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or are still missing after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the National Police Agency said.   (Dai Kurokawa / EPA)

Buddhist nun Jikou Yoshida prays at the devastated tsunami site in Miyagi prefecture. Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant is gradually stabilizing and that the amount of radiation being released is falling.   (Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP)