A method for determining the suitability of schools as evacuation shelters and aid distribution hubs following disasters: case study from Cagayan de Oro, Philippines

Abstract

Despite the controversy regarding their use, school buildings are often assigned as emergency evacuation shelters, temporary accommodation and aid distribution hubs following disasters. This paper presents a methodology to compare the relative suitability of different school buildings for these purposes by using the analytical hierarchy process to weight criteria based on the combined opinions of relevant experts and combine these with descriptive scores from surveyed buildings. The aggregated weights show that approximately equal weighting should be given to the hard characteristics (hazard at location and physical vulnerability) and soft characteristics (accessibility, communications, living environment, access to supplies). As well as immediate safety, conditions for inhabitation are important so that displaced persons are not discouraged from evacuating to shelters and shelter life is not detrimental to health and well-being. The study allows an optimal selection of school buildings used as shelters before and after a disaster and highlights where most improvement could be made with relatively little time and resources for both individual buildings and the whole study area. This method was applied to Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines, an area exposed to floods, windstorms and earthquakes, but can be adapted for other local contexts and building types. Among the 38 school buildings surveyed, we identified key areas for improvement as being insufficient pedestrian access for evacuation at night and for those with mobility constraints, and a lack of alternate spaces for evacuee activities leading to interference with education.

Optimizing Emergency Shelter Selection in Earthquakes Using a Risk-Driven Large Group Decision-Making Support System

“…However, multi-criteria decision making provides a set of methods for analyzing, evaluating, and prioritizing options that can be used to solve decision-making problems [23][24][25][26]. It is relevant to note that criteria selection may vary, but generally include safety (distance from hazardous facilities), accessibility (road network, distance from critical facilities), and operational efficiency (capacity, area) [27][28][29]. According to Xu, et al [30], a multi-criteria constraint location method with GIS support was developed to solve the problem of shelter site selection from the perspective of urban planning.…”

“…Hosseini, et al [34] presented a multi-criteria decision-making approach that utilizes a knapsack algorithm and an integrated value model for sustainability assessment in Tehran, Iran, to assist decision-makers in selecting optimal site locations by assessing a variety of alternatives. Tsioulou, Faure Walker, Lo and Yore [27] presented a method for evaluating the relative suitability of various school buildings as emergency shelters based on the AHP. Based on the aggregated weights, it is evident that hard (hazards and physical vulnerability) and soft (access to supplies, and accessibility) factors should be given relatively equal importance.…”