By Samuel Burke, CNN

The American East Coast has yet to fully asses Hurricane Sandy’s destruction, but people are already asking how they can rebuild to be better prepared in the future.

“Certainly there are things we could do to avoid what we saw happening this week,” says Kate Ascher, an urban planning expert who understands how all the pieces of this complicated jigsaw fit together.

Ascher says when the coastal areas begin to rebuild, they’ll need to construct various types of sea walls to break the surf that have various parts of the East Coast surrounded by water in Sandy’s aftermath.

In New York City, much of the infrastructure is located in the lower part of the city, Ascher says it’s unlikely those will be moved, so the structures must be updated to protect against the tides and storm surges.  FULL POST