Evacuation Shelters Research Articles

Experiences of Communities Living in Shelters During the 2022 Eastern Kentucky Floods.

On July 28, 2022, floods in eastern Kentucky displaced over 600 individuals. With the goal of understanding mental health needs of affected families, we surveyed households living in flood evacuation shelters after the 2022 Kentucky floods. Families experiencing displacement from the 2022 Kentucky floods currently living in three different temporary shelter locations were surveyed via convenience sampling. A rapid community needs assessment involving in-person interviews using modified two stage cluster methodology (CASPER) was conducted between September 6-9, 2022. Teams conducted 61 household interviews. Since the flood, 27.7% reported that their household received services from behavioral health and 19.6% received grief counseling. Experiencing agitation (36.7%), difficulty concentrating (47.5%), nightmares (62.3%), or suicidal thoughts/self-harm (6.6%) were reported by households surveyed. Over one-fourth (27.0%) of individuals surveyed reported being depressed nearly every day. Over 20% reported anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure) nearly every day. Over 75% of individuals surveyed reported being anxious several days or more over the last two weeks. Over one-third of individuals (34.0%) reported being unable to stop worrying nearly every day. Of those individuals surveyed, 36.1% reported barriers to mental health services. Symptoms of depressed mood, anhedonia, anxiety, and nightmares were prevalent in displaced families six weeks after the 2022 Kentucky floods. Providing and encouraging access to mental health services are important priorities during disaster recovery.

Kumamoto Earthquake NST activity report: food problems in evacuation shelters in comparison with convalescent facilities

Kumamoto Earthquake NST activity report: food problems in evacuation shelters in comparison with convalescent facilities

Foods provided at shelters during a heavy rain disaster: comparison of weighed food records between different numbers of days.

Dietitians working at evacuation shelters conduct weighed food records (WFRs) for multiple days for dietary assessment. Because the menus in evacuation shelters do not change much from day to day, this study examined whether one- and two-day WFRs are sufficient for dietary assessment at shelters and identified dietary components that can influence the number of assessment days. Overall, 26 WFRs were collected from 10 shelters in Kumamoto Prefecture, and the amounts of energy; protein; vitamins B1, B2 and C and salt were calculated. Correlation analysis and paired sample tests were conducted to examine significant differences between 'one- and two-consecutive- or nonconsecutive-day WFRs' and 'three-consecutive-day WFRs', which were set as the standard in this study. Additionally, the coefficients of variation (CV) for the categories by meal and dish were calculated to examine the variables that affected the large variations. As a result, one-day WFRs had significant positive correlations with the standard; thus, it could be used for the triage of shelters requiring nutrition assistance as a substitute for three-day WFRs. Two-consecutive-day and nonconsecutive-day WFRs showed a stronger correlation with the standard compared with the one-day WFRs. For energy and nutrients and dish categories, ready-to-eat foods had larger CV than boxed meals or foods from hot meal services. Whenever the meals included ready-to-eat foods, a two-nonconsecutive-day WFR is recommended considering large between-day variations. Salty soup or beverages affected the variation of some nutrients. Our result would help municipalities to consider the number of WFRs during emergency.

Features of causes of indirect certified disaster-related death in areas affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident: an observational study

ObjectivesTo investigate the details of disaster-related deaths due to the indirect health effects of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident following the Great East-Japan Earthquake in 2011 and...

Adaptive opening times for evacuation shelters during disasters

Adaptive opening times for evacuation shelters during disasters

Population Distribution Forecasting Based on the Fusion of Spatiotemporal Basic and External Features: A Case Study of Lujiazui Financial District

Predicting the distribution of people in the time window approaching a disaster is crucial for post-disaster assistance activities and can be useful for evacuation route selection and shelter planning. However, two major limitations have not yet been addressed: (1) Most spatiotemporal prediction models incorporate spatiotemporal features either directly or indirectly, which results in high information redundancy in the parameters of the prediction model and low computational efficiency. (2) These models usually incorporate certain basic and external features, and they can neither change spatiotemporal addressed features according to spatiotemporal features nor change them in real-time according to spatiotemporal features. The spatiotemporal feature embedding methods for these models are inflexible and difficult to interpret. To overcome these problems, a lightweight population density distribution prediction framework that considers both basic and external spatiotemporal features is proposed. In the study, an autoencoder is used to extract spatiotemporal coded information to form a spatiotemporal attention mechanism, and basic and external spatiotemporal feature attention is fused by a fusion framework with learnable weights. The fused spatiotemporal attention is fused with Resnet as the prediction backbone network to predict the people distribution. Comparison and ablation experimental results show that the computational efficiency and interpretability of the prediction framework are improved by maximizing the scalability of the spatiotemporal features of the model by unleashing the scalability of the spatiotemporal features of the model while enhancing the interpretability of the spatiotemporal information as compared to the classical and popular spatiotemporal prediction frameworks. This study has a multiplier effect and provides a reference solution for predicting population distributions in similar regions around the globe.

Factors affecting household evacuation decision making in response to disaster: Case study from the 2021 South Kalimantan floods, Indonesia

Understanding the factors that influence evacuation decisions is crucial for optimizing resource allocation and formulating an effective emergency plan, particularly in the communication and implementation of warnings. To assist with this endeavour, this study investigates whether selected variables affected evacuation decision-making during the 2021 South Kalimantan, Indonesia, Floods. This is achieved through identifying significant factors in a binomial regression model constructed using a resident survey during the extreme floods of January 2021 and the more typical frequent floods of December 2021. The survey captures sociodemographic, capacity-related, hazard-related and warning-related factors from 375 residents including 205 in West Banjarmasin (urban area) and 170 in Tabuk River (rural area). It was found that families with partial ownership of their house (renting or living with another family) and those with a higher number of members are less likely to evacuate, as are those with a lack of knowledge about evacuation shelters and routes. External factors influencing people's evacuation decisions included the flood height and duration as well as whether there was an unofficial warning to evacuate. The findings suggest the following actions could assist with encouraging safety-seeking behaviour through evacuation: ensure evacuation instructions reach larger families and households and that they are relevant for them; include evacuation instructions with warnings; and conduct regular evacuation drills that include information about the flood risk map and the location and route to relevant evacuation shelters.

Integrated approach for flood shelter site selection and emergency response accessibility analysis at the provincial scale: a case study in Henan, China

ABSTRACT Emergency response efficiency is affected seriously by shelter location during traffic disruption caused by floods. In this paper, a new framework including the suitability assessment of shelter location and the accessibility analysis of emergency response is proposed. Firstly, an evaluation criteria system from a risk perspective is established to screen candidate shelters. Secondly, candidate shelters’ effective area, capacity, and service radius are combined to determine the suitable shelter locations. Finally, the emergency accessibility of traffic under different rainstorm scenarios is calculated, respectively. The results show that resident emergency congregate shelters are suitable to be built in economically developed and highly densely populated areas around the central part of Henan, and it is mainly to guard against extreme floods caused by heavy rainfall. It should be dominated by emergency evacuation and embarkation shelters to prevent daily floods in the west and southwest. In addition, the reduced accessibility is apparent in the western and southeastern regions owing to road inundation, and occurs in the disaster scenarios of the 20-year return period and more. This study suggests how to select suitable shelters by considering the spatial heterogeneity of the province.

Animation tsunami modelling in 3D to determine shelter and evacuation routes

ABSTRACT Indonesia is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making the country prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. Indonesia, especially the southern region of Java, has the potential to be hit by a megathrust earthquake triggering waves much higher than before. Determining evacuation routes and locations as a part of disaster management is essential to avoid many fatalities. This research aims to determine evacuation routes and shelters using photogrammetry-based 3D animation. This paper applied experimental research for modelling and simulation approach with the stages of generating a 3D orthomosaic map, predicting tsunami magnitude, determining the height and distribution of waves, modelling and simulating 3D animation as well as marking evacuation routes and shelter locations. 3D orthomosaics are created based on aerial photos (UAV) drones. Future tsunami data are used to estimate the extent and depth of inundation that may occur. This research uses the Teluk Penyu area in Cilacap, Indonesia, as a study site. The tsunami disaster caused by an earthquake magnitude 7.8 centred in the south of West Java hit this city in 2006. This research produces a 3D animation model that can visualise the extent and depth of tsunami inundation to determine evacuation routes and shelter buildings.

Topological network and fuzzy AHP modeling framework for the suitability analysis of evacuation shelters: A case study in Japan

Evacuation shelters play a critical role in disasters, providing a safe environment for evacuees to remain safe from threats or disasters. In this study, we analyze the suitability of evacuation shelters using a topological network and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) modeling framework with GIS applications, in which potential shelters are assessed according to their accessibility, reachability, and critical criteria within an evacuation network. The accessibility and reachability of evacuation shelters are identified using network analysis, whereas the critical criteria for evacuation shelters are deduced from the referenced requirements. The accessibility, reachability, and criteria of shelters are then weighted with fuzzy AHP analysis, and the suitability of potential shelters for use as evacuation shelters are then analyzed. An illustrative case study was conducted to illustrate the modeling framework; an evacuation network with 2797 nodes was constructed in the study area. Of the 2797 nodes, nine were identified as suitable for use as evacuation shelters. These nine included four accredited designated evacuation shelters and another five potential shelters as alternative shelters. The modeling framework in this study provides a systematic approach to identifying the characteristics of potential shelters, which is expected to be useful in decision making for evacuation planning, disaster preparedness and response, and postdisaster activities in recovery and restoration.

Role of physical therapists in providing care to older adults in welfare shelters during the hyper-acute phase of a disaster: lessons learned in Wajima City, Japan, after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake

Natural disasters pose significant challenges to affected communities, particularly vulnerable populations such as older adults. The aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake highlighted the necessity of welfare shelters to provide essential care. However, little is known about the specific role of physical therapists in these shelters. The aim of this article is to share the experiences and contributions of physical therapists in a welfare shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, immediately after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.6, damaged 76,589 houses, injured over 1,100 people, resulting in 245 deaths. The authors comprised a multidisciplinary team, including physical therapists, that provided short-term medical support at a welfare shelter in Wajima. Through several examples, we describe the contribution of physical therapists to evacuees' health outcomes. Physical therapists played multifaceted roles in the welfare shelter, optimizing living environments, conducting physical screenings, and delivering continuous medical care, including respiratory care and exercise programs. The involvement of physical therapists in post-disaster evacuation shelters is crucial for enhancing emergency health care delivery and promoting community resilience.

Analysis Placement of Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Shelters Based on Number and Location (Case Study: Painan City)

Painan City is a city whose part of the area is located on the coast, so it is prone to tsunami disasters. This disaster is unpredictable and can occur at any time. Based on interview data with BPBD South Pesisir Regency, Painan City has 10 shelters ranging from; official shelters, buildings that are multifunctional as shelters, and natural shelters. The purpose of this study is to determine the range of services of the tsunami shelter in Painan City today. The research method used is a quantitative descriptive method. In this study, what was discussed was the evaluation of the number and location of existing shelters, as well as determining the location of planned or additional tsunami shelters, as well as to determine the coverage of areas that can be served by these shelters with the help of GIS applications. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the entire tsunami danger zone area of Painan City could be served by existing shelters, in a span of 26 minutes with a distance of 1,171.56 meters. This means that people in the tsunami danger zone can evacuate safely before the tsunami disaster comes.

Optimizing Disaster Response through Efficient Path Planning of Mobile Aerial Base Station with Genetic Algorithm

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, as mobile aerial base stations (MABSs) in Disaster Response Networks (DRNs) has gained significant interest in addressing coverage gaps of user equipment (UE) and establishing ubiquitous connectivity. In the event of natural disasters, the traditional base station is often destroyed, leading to significant challenges for UEs in establishing communication with emergency services. This study explores the deployment of MABS to provide network service to terrestrial users in a geographical area after a disaster. The UEs are organized into clusters at safe locations or evacuation shelters as part of the communication infrastructure. The main goal is to provide regular wireless communication for geographically dispersed users using Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology. The MABS traveling at an average speed of 50 km/h visits different cluster centroids determined by the Affinity Propagation Clustering (APC) algorithm. A combination of graph theory and a Genetic Algorithm (GA) was used through mutators with a fitness function to obtain the most efficient flyable paths through an evolution pool of 100 generations. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm was compared with the benchmark fitness function and analyzed using the number of serviced UE performance indicators. System-level simulations were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed new fitness function in terms of the UEs served by the MABS after the MABS deployment, fitness score, service ratio, and path smoothness ratio. The results show that the proposed fitness function improved the overall service of UEs after MABS deployment and the fitness score, service ratio, and path smoothness ratio under a given number of MABS.

The 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake: Preliminary observations and lessons to be learned

On 1st January 2024 an Mw7.5 earthquake occurred along an active fault across the Noto Peninsula. The tremors generated a wide range of cascading hazards, including geological uplift, liquefaction, landslides, fires and tsunamis. This study offers some preliminary observations on the impacts of the cascading hazards. It also describes the pattern of casualties and the experience of evacuees and the management of evacuation centers. The hazards caused damage to buildings and infrastructure and more than 240 deaths. As usual, most casualties were caused by building collapse, but there was a high incidence of death by hypothermia and cold, which is different from the impact of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and reflects the harsher winter climate of this Noto Peninsula. Tsunamis arrived within a few minutes but killed only two people, which testifies to the high awareness of tsunamis in this area. Severe damage to roads significantly delayed early recovery as transportation was curtailed. This earthquake also showed how the problems of evacuees and evacuation shelters had remained unresolved since the 2011 disaster. The main lessons to be learned from this disaster are that improving the earthquake resistance of buildings is important even in Japan, which has a long history of anti-seismic construction. Special provisions are needed for disasters that occur during peak winter or summer weather. Special plans are required to repair and reopen roads damaged by earthquake and to support vulnerable people in both the short and the long term after disaster.

The role of vehicular considerations in tsunami shelter location optimization

Using vehicles during tsunami evacuation might exacerbate road congestion, potentially increasing casualties. However, since the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami, vehicular evacuation during tsunamis has partially been permitted, especially to assist elderly and disabled individuals with mobility challenges. The present study aimed to elucidate the impact of vehicular use on reducing mortality rate by introducing a new tsunami evacuation shelter in a given coastal area. To do so, the authors applied an agent-based tsunami evacuation simulation model that can account for behaviors of both pedestrians and vehicular evacuees to three Japanese coastal cities (Mihama Town, Shingu City, and Minabe Town) considering future Nankai–Tonankai Earthquake Tsunami scenarios. The authors first determined mortality rates under scenarios both with and without vehicular evacuation using current shelter placements. Subsequently, mortality rates with the introduction of a new tsunami evacuation shelter were examined for both scenarios. The findings showed that effective shelter locations for minimizing mortality rates varied depending on whether vehicular evacuation was considered. It was also found that the effectiveness of vehicular use during evacuation and the strategic placement of new tsunami evacuation shelters are highly dependent on local factors such as population distribution, existing shelter locations, and road layouts. These findings underscore the necessity for area-specific tsunami evacuation simulations to construct robust evacuation strategies.

The significance of local government in disaster management for international migrants: the case of Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture.

Disaster research predominantly focuses on citizens, not on migrants. This tilted spotlight needs to be readjusted, since many advanced countries around the world have become immigration countries, and safeguarding the lives of migrants at times of disaster has become an important and immediate policy issue. Hence, this research concentrates on disaster management to protect the lives of migrants in a disaster-prone and de facto immigration country. The particular country and event in question are Japan and the northern Osaka earthquake of June 2018. More than 100 migrants who lived near the earthquake's epicentre rushed to an evacuation shelter managed by the local municipal government of Minoh City, Osaka Prefecture. While non-governmental organisations attract more attention, this paper centres on a local government and demonstrates the key role that it can play in both bridging and building networks across different communities, and thus in safeguarding the lives of migrants at times of disaster.

Caregivers’ perspectives on disaster preparedness and evacuation plan for children relying on home ventilators or home oxygen

Children with medical complexity (CMC) and their caregivers are particularly vulnerable to the pernicious effects of disasters. This multicenter observational investigation in Ehime Prefecture, Japan, aimed to assess caregivers' perspectives on the disaster preparedness for children relying on home ventilators or home oxygen, determine their inclinations towards evacuation, and identify their concerns regarding a disaster. Caregivers of children receiving home care with a ventilator or oxygen therapy were recruited. Participants were administered multiple-choice questions and requested to provide free-text comments about their concerns. As a result, of 99 participants, 49.5 % (N = 49) reported being well-prepared for a disaster. While 27.3 % (N = 27) stated that they would evacuate, 25.2 % (N = 25) stated never evacuate. Caregivers for totally dependent children were more likely to decline evacuation. 68.7 % (N = 68) reported never having discussed with medical professionals about disaster preparedness. 44.4 % (N = 44) reported not having a backup power supply. 66.7 % (N = 66) expressed concerns about residing in an evacuation shelter. Other concerns included power outages, inadequate resources, and a lack of feasible evacuation options. In conclusion, Many caregivers perceive that they are insufficiently prepared for a disaster. Caregivers have a diverse range of concerns about disasters. Medical professionals and other stakeholders should recognize caregivers’ difficulties and promote communications about disaster preparedness.Practice Implications.Professionals engaged in the care of CMC should acknowledge unique needs of children and their caregivers, assure them of their right to survive during a disaster, and facilitate discussions about preparedness. The viewpoints of children and their caregivers should be taken into consideration when making decisions about policy and infrastructure adjustments.

Risk Mapping of COVID-19 to Create a Common Operating Picture Using Data from Wastewater Monitoring

Monitoring wastewater quality at the inlet of a wastewater treatment plant provides an overview of the health of the community connected to the respective wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater monitoring has been increasingly recognized as a valid tool in pandemic risk management, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. However, the results of wastewater monitoring are not yet fully utilized in the decision-making process of public governance across most of the Asia-Pacific region. This study explored the potential of geographic information systems to map the results of wastewater monitoring and provide a common operating picture for swift and informed decision-making, especially in times of disasters. By creating an online dashboard tool, we found that an additional merit of mapping wastewater monitoring is that it allows overlaying various other information, such as evacuation shelters, onto the same map. As the service areas of wastewater treatment plants, or sewersheds, are not necessarily aligned with geopolitical boundaries, mapping provides opportunities for re-calculating wastewater monitoring results at the city or district levels. The potential for recalculation is also applicable to overlayed information, indicating that information from wastewater monitoring may be used to assess disaster preparedness or multi-hazard risks. The dashboard prototype was discussed with government officials and feedback was obtained. We aim to further develop the findings so that the information from wastewater monitoring can be shared on a platform, such as the shared information platform for disaster management, in the future for effective risk governance.

Feasibility of special care to mass feeding for vulnerable people: interviews with organizations that provide hot meal service at evacuation shelters

Feasibility of special care to mass feeding for vulnerable people: interviews with organizations that provide hot meal service at evacuation shelters

Towards Resilient Cities: Optimizing Shelter Site Selection and Disaster Prevention Life Circle Construction Using GIS and Supply-Demand Considerations

City health examinations are integral to China’s urban planning, construction, and management. They effectively identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in urban development, ensuring safety resilience—a critical component. This resilience enhances the city’s ability to withstand internal and external shocks, promoting the safety of urban residents and fostering sustainable city development. Drawing on the Japanese disaster prevention strategy, the disaster prevention life circle emerges as a rescue and protection system during urban disasters, fortifying urban safety resilience. However, smaller and mid-sized cities, constrained by limited resources, significantly need to catch up in disaster prevention planning. Consequently, bolstering safety resilience in these cities becomes a pressing concern. This study focuses on Lindian County in Heilongjiang Province as the urban area under consideration for resilient city objectives. Leveraging the ArcGIS network analysis tool, we optimize the placement of emergency shelters, aligning with urban disaster assessments and the equilibrium of disaster prevention facility supply and demand. Accessibility analysis of emergency shelters was conducted using the Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method. Ultimately, we integrate the range of demand points assigned to each shelter, along with the effective land area reflecting the supply of shelters, as weights into a weighted Voronoi diagram. This diagram is combined with a reference to the entire region to delineate the disaster prevention life circle. Findings reveal that, under the premise of minimizing government construction costs while maximizing coverage and evacuation utilization rates, the optimal resident emergency congregate shelters in the study area are 8, with 98 emergency evacuation and embarkation shelters. Striking a balance between disaster prevention facility supply and demand and regional accessibility, the urban area of Lindian County is segmented into 3 resident disaster prevention life circles and 24 emergency disaster prevention life circles. The objective of this study is to optimize shelter siting and establish disaster prevention life circles in diverse urban areas. This endeavor aims to bolster urban resilience and foster sustainable urban development.