A new index-based model for site selection of emergency shelters after an earthquake for Iran

• Published in: International journal of disaster risk reduction 2022-07, Vol.77, p.103110, Article 103110
• Main Authors: Amini Hosseini, K., Asadzadeh Tarebari, S., Mirhakimi, S.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Displaced people; Emergency shelter; Evacuation; Karaj; Public sites; Site selection
• ISSN: 2212-4209; 2212-4209
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.103110

One of the necessary measures to mitigate and manage the social impacts of seismic events is evacuation and emergency shelter planning. Such plans should be developed before disasters by relevant agencies with the participation of local communities, especially in densely populated urban areas. In this study, having a look at the experiences relevant to emergency sheltering process in Iran and other countries, an applicable model for site selection will be presented. For this purpose, the main characteristics of suitable public places to be used as the emergency shelter after a disaster will be addressed. In addition, minimum requirements to adopt public sites as emergency shelters will be discussed, based on socio-economic and physical vulnerability factors focusing on Iran's cities. Accordingly, necessary parameters for emergency shelter planning will be outlined and weighted using experts' judgments. Then, a multi-criteria index based model for site selection of emergency shelters is proposed based on earthquake risk, physical vulnerability, and social and environmental parameters. Finally, the model is applied in district one of Karaj city and appropriate places for emergency shelter are selected accordingly. The proposed model in this study could be useful for decision makers in disaster management planning in Iran and can be applied in other countries by calibrating the parameters and their weights based on local conditions.