When confronted with a tragedy like last week's earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan, I don't think our minds can begin to process the magnitude of loss and suffering. And so we reflexively search for things to learn from it instead. In that vein, here is one crucial lesson that the tragedy has underscored: The wisdom of investing in sound infrastructure to protect against risk, even when it holds no promise for near-term gain, should not be doubted. 

The 8.9 magnitude quake on March 11 destroyed several Japanese cities, took thousands of lives and sparked worries of meltdowns at nuclear plants. The skyscrapers in Tokyo--situated about 230 miles from the quake's epicenter--did not fall, however. They swayed mightily (as can be seen in this video), but then steadied themselves and remained standing throughout the country's worst earthquake ever, thanks to long-term planning and investment. Advanced structural engineering and a strict adherence to building codes proved to be a godsend, preventing what otherwise would have been unimaginably catastrophic for the city of 13 million people. 

The importance of investing in sound infrastructure is as vital for information and communications networks as it is for buildings and bridges. Japan's Internet infrastructure held up remarkably well in the disaster, which is particularly notable because the phone networks did not. According to Renesys Corp., which monitored Internet traffic, most websites remained accessible to users in Japan during and after the disaster. Traffic dipped during the quake but then returned to a high rate by day's end. "Despite terrible fires, floods, and power outages, [Internet] traffic from Japanese clients just keeps going," wrote James Cowey on the Renesys blog March 11. "[I]t's clear that Internet connectivity has survived this event better than anyone would have expected."

The engineering behind the Internet infrastructure in Japan deserves the credit, according to Cowey. "The engineers who built Japan's Internet created a dense web of domestic and international connectivity that is among the richest and most diverse on earth," he wrote. "At this point, it looks like their work may have allowed the Internet to do what it does best: Route around catastrophic damage and keep the packets flowing, despite terrible chaos and uncertainty."

Meanwhile, the wireless phone networks, not surprisingly, were overwhelmed. Many callers were unable to get through on cell phones, not only during the disaster but in the days that followed. 

In the United States, as has been noted widely--and illustrated periodically--in recent years, our infrastructure is failing. Bridges collapse under their own weight, levees crumble and roads go unrepaired. When calamity strikes, our communications networks tend to falter, not only compounding fears, uncertainty and anxiety, but also hampering rescue and relief efforts. Calamities aside, our information networks routinely reveal themselves as unprotected from even well-known risks. At times, investments to protect vital infrastructure are hard to justify, in the face of quarterly earnings pressures. But the pay-off in securing the infrastructure can be incalculable. - Caron

If you are looking for sites for donating to relief efforts in Japan, here are three:
American Red Cross
Save the Children
Doctors without Borders