Civil Engineers are now facing new challenges in urban development and structural design that have never been an issue before. Natural disasters pose an unprecedented challenge for engineers to protect human lives,their properties, and modem urban infrastructures. For example, the storm surge of the 2005 Katrina at New Orleans illustrates our underestimation of the storm surge run-up, and the 2004 Sumatra Tsunami shows our ignorance on tsunami hazards. In recent years, the recurrences of devastating earthquakes, landslides, debris flows, volcanic eruptions,typhoons, and flooding have led to our new philosophies in dealing these hazards and disasters. In this paper, we will take the 100th anniversary of the 1906 storm surge in Hong Kong as an example and to discuss philosophically some of these issues and their potential solutions. In essence, history has repeatedly demonstrated that mankind and our built-structures are incapable of resisting the tremendous forces imposed by these disasters. We should not aim to build stronger structures, but instead should choose the location of urban development more wisely such that disaster-prone zones should be avoided. If we really have no choice, our man-made-structures should be designed in such a way that it will live in harmony with mother nature. For example, in tsunami-prone and storm-surge-prone regions, all walls in the fLrSt two storeys facing the sea should be e "hminated and the first tWo storeys should not be used as apartments for residents. Also, a better town planning and smarter building are preferable to the building of higher protective walls in the coastal areas(as in the town of Taro in Japan). The idea should be similar to the philosophy behind the martial arts of Japanese judo or Chinese Tai Chi and Wing Chuen. That is, we should use of the power of the enemy to defeat the enemy. Likewise, in conceptual designof our infrastructures, we should strive for a way to live with the power of nature and not to fight against the nature.
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