It took only minutes for the earthquake and tsunami to devastate Japan's northeast. Rebuilding will take years -- if it can be afforded
It took only minutes for the earthquake and tsunami to devastate Japan's northeast. Rebuilding will take years -- if it can be afforded. 
The relentless wall of water that the quake unleashed killed thousands, swept away whole towns, inundated roads and knocked ports, oil refineries, steel plants and factories out of action.
Experts say the cost of the destruction likely exceeds that of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake -- estimated by Standard & Poor's to have totaled $159 billion.
The four most severely affected prefectures (states) -- Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki -- are home to industries from farming to auto parts to electronics and make up some 6 per cent of Japan's economy.
Hundreds of thousands of people have spent five nights with little food, water or heating in near-freezing temperatures as they dealt with the loss of homes and loved ones.
Elsewhere, widespread power shortages from damage to four nuclear plants -- an unfolding crisis in itself -- have forced many companies to halt production. Sony Corp. has halted output at several factories. Toshiba Corp. has done the same. All automakers including Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest, have stopped making cars nationwide.
Reconstruction will be extremely challenging because the damage is so widespread and has likely destroyed power lines and water treatment facilities, said Jun Yang, president of the Hong Kong branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers. "In my view it would take five to 10 years to rebuild or repair," said Yang.
That timeframe doesn't include any radiation contamination from earthquake-crippled nuclear reactors, which could have a "potentially significant effect on the post-earthquake rebuilding," he said.
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