Shelter Area Research Articles

A multi-objective approach for locating temporary shelters under damage uncertainty

Every year, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, etc. kill thousands of people and destroy habitats and assets worth millions-of-dollars. Choice of temporary shelter areas and subsequent relocation of homeless people play a crucial role in post-earthquake relief operations. This paper proposes a multi-objective location-relocation model based on goal programming approach considering uncertainties of damage to infrastructure due to earthquakes. The model considers multiple objectives of risk, number of sites, unmet demand and qualitative suitability of locations and generates solutions under different scenarios of damage. A numerical illustration is also presented to demonstrate the applicability of proposed approach in solving the decision problem.

A multi-objective approach for locating temporary shelters under damage uncertainty

Every year, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, landslides, etc. kill thousands of people and destroy habitats and assets worth millions-of-dollars. Choice of temporary shelter areas and subsequent relocation of homeless people play a crucial role in post-earthquake relief operations. This paper proposes a multi-objective location-relocation model based on goal programming approach considering uncertainties of damage to infrastructure due to earthquakes. The model considers multiple objectives of risk, number of sites, unmet demand and qualitative suitability of locations and generates solutions under different scenarios of damage. A numerical illustration is also presented to demonstrate the applicability of proposed approach in solving the decision problem.

TOPLUM TABANLI AFET YÖNETİMİ ÇERÇEVESİNDE BARINMA RİSK ANALİZİ

The impacts of disasters on reaching global levels increased risk reduction efforts in this area. Although efforts to reduce disaster risks have increased, these studies have not been able to significantly reduce socio-economic vulnerability. Many communities are still vulnerable to disasters and this exposure is increasing over time. Reducing the vulnerability of individuals and societies to disasters can only be achieved through more comprehensive and human-based preventive approaches to disaster risks. All these reveal the importance of widespread innovative work at the community-based disaster risk management. To realize community-based disaster management within the scope of this study, individuals become aware of the risks in the shelter areas where they spend most of their lives and the shelter risk analysis scale, which aims to minimize the loss of life and property in disasters and emergencies. Within the scope of this scale, the level of awareness of the individual, the structural and non-structural hazards in the shelter areas, environmental hazards and threat perception were measured and risk potentials were communicated to the person at the end of the analysis.

Feasibility study and resilience disaster assessment toward shelter and settlement areas in Rinjani circumference, Sembalun district, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province

Rinjani is one of the active volcanoes in the province of West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In 2018, Rinjani designated as world geopark by UNESCO. Mount Rinjani has regional support Rinjani potential as a world geopark, which Rinjani circumference. This study aims to assess feasibility and disaster resilience towards shelter and settlement in Rinjani circumference. This study uses qualitative descriptive analysis by examining building physical elements and the environment. Based on the identification, it is necessary to organize shelter and settlement resilient among other things: 1) Land Use, is planning disaster vulnerability zones, emergency response settlements, and protected areas, and public facilities in safe zones, 2) Shape and Building Mass, is adjusting environment and local wisdom, climate and context, household and livelihood activities, occupancy problems, construction materials, construction activities, participatory design, venting and vector control, 3) Circulation and Parking, is integrating circulation paths with evacuation routes, assessing access, security and safety of local settlements, road infrastructure and artificial lighting requirements; 4) Open Space, is preserving sustainability, functions, and environmental value as the world’s geopark region; 5) Supporting Activities and Signages, is making signage indicating route, tourist activities location, processing activities of agricultural and plantation as well as informative evacuation.

Identifying shelter locations and building air intake risk from release of particulate matter in a three-dimensional street canyon via wind tunnel and CFD simulation

This study aims to identify lower risk exterior shelter areas and building air intake locations by modeling particulate matter (PM) dispersion in a three-dimensional street canyon from a point source and comprises a wind tunnel experiment and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The model street canyon was a two-by-two building array of constant height with aspect ratios of 0.35, 0.70, and 1.05. A PM emission source external to the street canyon was simulated with water droplets from an ultrasonic humidifier in the wind tunnel. The CFD simulation, using the standard turbulence k-ϵ turbulence model and the Discrete Phase Model, showed that, inside the street canyon, the sidewalks had the lowest PM concentration at the breathing level of 1.5 m above the ground. Regardless of wind direction and PM source location, the roofs had the lowest PM concentration among all building surfaces with access to the internal intersection. Therefore, if an accidental point release of PM outside the street canyons occurs, pedestrians that could not enter buildings should stay on the sidewalks. For building construction and renovation, new ventilation air intakes should be installed on the roofs, and the intakes that are already installed on other building façade surfaces should be advised to be closed during such episode.

A Risk-Averse Shelter Location and Evacuation Routing Assignment Problem in an Uncertain Environment.

Disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods continue to have devastating socioeconomic impacts and endanger millions of lives. Shelters are safe zones that protect victims from possible damage, and evacuation routes are the paths from disaster zones toward shelter areas. To enable the timely evacuation of disaster zones, decisions regarding shelter location and routing assignment (i.e., traffic assignment) should be considered simultaneously. In this work, we propose a risk-averse stochastic programming model with a chance constraint that takes into account the uncertainty in the demand of disaster sites while minimizing the total evacuation time. The total evacuation time reflects the efficacy of emergency management from a system optimal (SO) perspective. A conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) is incorporated into the objective function to account for risk measures in the presence of uncertain post-disaster demand. We resolve the non-linear travel time function of traffic flow by employing a second-order cone programming (SOCP) approach and linearizing the non-linear chance constraints into a new mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) reformulation so that the problem can be directly solved by state-of-the-art optimization solvers. We illustrate the application of our model using two case studies. The first case study is used to demonstrate the difference between a risk-neutral model and our proposed model. An extensive computational study provides practical insight into the proposed modeling approach using another case study concerning the Black Saturday bushfire in Australia.

A Study on Temporary Shelter Areas Using Pedestrian Networks in Coastal Cities

Kim, J.O. and Lee, J.K., 2019. A study on temporary shelter areas using pedestrian networks in coastal cities. In: Lee, J.L.; Yoon, J.-S.; Cho, W.C.; Muin, M., and Lee, J. (eds.), The 3rd International Water Safety Symposium. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 91, pp. 421-425. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.This study aims to analyze service area of shelter in order to plan the evacuation route using a pedestrian-level network in coastal cities. We proposed the process of shelter service area demarcation, which is applied various scenarios for flood inundation risk map, considers the characteristics of refugees such as the general public and the elderly. To solve the problem, the coastal flood maps were constructed to take into account the rise in sea level due to climate change. By using the GIS(Geographic Information System), we calculated the slop of the road by adding elevation to the link of pedestrian-level network, applied differently the walking time according to the slope. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the application of the service area for flood emergency shelters of coastal cities in Republic of Korea. The service area of the study, which reflects the elevation, the condition of evacuees, the accessibility and the flood map, was able to arrive at the shelter in a short time avoiding the high risk of flooding.

A Three-Stage Hierarchical Model for An Earthquake Shelter Location-Allocation Problem: Case Study of Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

Earthquakes are one type of natural disaster that causes serious economic loss, deaths, and homelessness, and providing shelters is vital to evacuees who have been affected by an earthquake. Constructing shelters with reasonable capacity in the right locations and allocating evacuees to them in a reasonable time period is one disaster management method. This study proposes a multi-objective hierarchical model with three stages, i.e., an immediate shelter (IS) stage, a short-term shelter (STS) stage, and a long-term shelter (LTS) stage. According to the requirements of evacuees of IS, STS, and LTS, the objective of both the IS and STS stages is to minimize total evacuation time and the objectives of the LTS are to minimize total evacuation time and to minimize total shelter area. A modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm is used to solve the IS and STS stages and an interleaved modified particle swarm optimization algorithm and genetic algorithm (MPSO-GA) is applied to solve the LTS stage. Taking Chaoyang District, Beijing, China as a case study, the results generated using the model present the government with a set of options. Thus, according to the preferences of the government, the determination can be made regarding where to construct ISs, STSs, and LTSs, and how to allocate the evacuees to them.

Water flow and substrate preferences of Schizothorax wangchiachii (Fang, 1936)

Understanding the habitat preferences of a fish species is crucial for protecting fish resources because it can guide development of appropriate conservation measures. Field surveys suggest that water flow velocity and substrate are the main influences on fish microhabitat selection. Controlled experiments are better suited to assessing fish microhabitat preferences than field surveys but experimental data are not yet sufficient for cyprinids. We conducted experiments with Schizothorax wangchiachii in an experimental system comprised of four parallel channels, with a different substrate type in each channel. Fish preference for each substrate was tested at four levels of water flow. Results show that flow velocity influences channel preference more than substrate type. Test fish entered channels more frequently as flow velocity increased from 0.01 m/s to 0.37 m/s. Surface stability and interstitial space were the major factors influencing preference for substrate type. The horizontal velocity gradient perpendicular to flow direction, resulting in shear stress, was hypothesized to be a third explanatory variable for channel preference, but it did not significantly influence channel preference. Test fish spent most of the day in a shaded (shelter) area and were far less active during the day than at night. This study provides information on S. wangchiachii preferences for water flow and substrate, circadian rhythm and daylight sheltering, information that will help guide efforts to conserve wild populations of S. wangchiachii.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus RNA detection in different matrices under typical storage conditions in the UK.

In the UK, approximately 40 per cent of the pig breeding herds are outdoors. To monitor their porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) status, blood is collected commonly from piglets around weaning. Sample collection in British outdoor pigs often occurs during the early morning hours when the piglets tend to accumulate inside sheltered areas. For practical reasons, dry cotton swabs are occasionally used for blood collection and stored at room temperature until arrival in the laboratory. Detection of PRRSV RNA is a function of viral concentration, sample type and storage condition. To evaluate a possible impact of the sampling protocol on PRRSV1 detection, experimentally spiked blood samples using three dilutions of a representative PRRSV1 strain were prepared. In addition, blood samples from pigs naturally infected with PRRSV were obtained from a PRRSV-positive British herd. Spiked blood and blood from infected pigs were used to obtain sera, dry or wet (immersed in saline) polyester or cotton swabs and FTA cards. The different samples were stored for 24 hours, 48 hours or 7 days at 4°C or 20°C and tested by a real-time reverse transcriptase PRRSV PCR assay. Under the study conditions, the best matrix was serum (96.7 per cent), followed by wet swabs (78 per cent), dry swabs (61.3 per cent) and FTA cards (51 per cent). Polyester swabs (76 per cent) showed a better performance than cotton swabs (63.3 per cent). The reduction in sensitivity obtained for swabs and FTA cards was particularly high at low viral concentrations. The results indicate that wet polyester swabs should be used whenever possible.

Potential of Groundwater to Supply Domestic Water Necessity in Evacuation Shelters of Merapi Volcano Eruption

Since the occurrence of eruption in 2010, volcanic activity of Merapi volcano increased several times. Cangkringan district was the most affected area with highest level of damage. Learned from the 2010 eruption, mitigation action was developed by preparing more and adequate evacuation shelters. During period of staying in evacuation shelter, primary necessity of clean water for the refugees needed to be fulfilled. Groundwater was considerated to be the alternative source to fulfill the needs of clean water for the refugeess in evacuation shelters. However, the amount of groundwater sources on the area of evacuation shelter had to be able to meet the domestic water necessity of all refugeess. This research aimed to measure the potential’s amount of groundwater on the surrounding area of evacuation shelter, particularly in Cangkringan district, and to identify the capability of groundwater to fulfill the refugees’s domestic water necessity in the evacuation shelter in Cangkringan district. Dynamic groundwater discharge method by Darcy model was used to measure the prediction of potential groundwater. The result showed potential of groundwater in Cangkringan were as much 88,417.2 m3/day or 88,417.200 liter/day. Total water necessity of refugees in Cangkringan was 335,700 liters/day. Compared to the prediction value of groundwater potential, the total water necessity of refugees in Cangkringan was able to be fulfilled.

No need to hide in caves: shelter-seeking behavior of surface and cave ecomorphs of Asellus aquaticus (Isopoda: Crustacea)

Shelter-seeking is a vital behavior for stress reduction and survival in a range of animals. It comes at the cost of reduced foraging, mate finding, dispersal and territoriality, and is expected to reflect the trade-off between fitness costs and benefits. One way to test this hypothesis is to compare shelter-seeking behavior in surface habitats and in caves where external threat factors are largely reduced. We did so using the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus from the Postojna-Planina Cave System and surrounding surface waters. Animals from two distinct, replicated pairs of surface and cave populations were individually offered a choice between shelter and open area. The thigmotatic sensation of a transparent plastic plate was the only stimulus that could trigger the sheltering behavior. Video recordings showed a clear reduction of shelter-seeking behavior in the cave ecomorph in one population pair (Pivka). There were no changes in the other population pair (Rak), where the behavioral response had a much higher variance. Our results were partly in agreement with the hypothesis that shelter-seeking behavior should be selected against in an environment with reduced external threats. It is nevertheless too early for generalizations as the results in the second population pair were inconclusive. Additionally, we showed that for benthic walkers like A. aquaticus the use of rough substrate is crucial to obtain unbiased behavioral responses. Results of some previous studies using smooth glass or plastic substratum could be affected by unnatural behavior of animals constantly trying to find firm contact with the ground.

POPULASI DAN HABITAT JALAK PUTIH (Sturnus melanopterus Daudin 1800) DI TAMAN NASIONAL BALI BARAT

Black-winged starling (Sturnus melanopterus Daudin 1800) has spread across West Bali National Park (WBNP). There are three subspecies of black-winged starling; Sturnus melanopterus tertius is distributed in the area of Bali, Sturnus melanopterus tricolor is distributed in East Java, and Sturnus melanopterus melanopterus is distributed in East Java and Madura. Status of black-winged starling was Critically Endangered in 2010. Therefore, this study aimed to (1) analyze the populations (numbers, sex ratio, and age structure) and analyze habitats of black-winged starling in West Bali National Park. Bird population was estimated by transect and concentration count method and black-winged starling habitat condition was identified using vegetation analysis. The result showed that the estimation of black-winged starling population were 35 individuals, sex ratio was 1:1, and all individuals were adults. The habitat which often used by black-winged starling was savanna as feeding area, drinking area, shelter area, and cover area. Keywords: black-winged starling, Bali barat, habitat, population

Using acoustic telemetry and snorkel surveys to study diel activity and seasonal migration of round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in an estuary of the Western Baltic Sea

AbstractIn just two decades, round goby Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas) has dispersed throughout most of the Baltic and the North American Great Lakes. It thrives in shallow sheltered areas, where it is impacting native fauna. In Denmark, researchers, governmental institutions and fishers have joined in an effort to establish a sustainable round goby fishery. To do so, basic information about the movement of round goby is essential, so the movements of 50 round gobies were tracked using acoustic telemetry. The results revealed that activity took place mainly at night and seasonal migrations were common. The most frequent migration behaviour observed was a seaward return migration during winter, which was further confirmed by a snorkel survey. Tracking data also revealed riverine upstream dispersal. The results demonstrate that the round goby can be mapped using telemetry, and it is suggested that fishing for round goby may improve efficiency by targeting seasonal migration corridors.

Salt Weathering of 7th Century CE Granite Monument of Shore Temple, Mahabalipuram – Scientific Investigation and Conservation Strategy

Salt-induced deterioration of architectural heritage is accelerated drastically in marine environments. This paper investigates the deterioration mechanism of the Shore Temple using various analytical techniques. Deteriorated and pristine stone samples were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), thin section studies, and SEM in order to understand the deterioration mechanism. The meteorological and micro-climatic conditions of Shore Temple in the tropical Indian climate were studied, as they have played a vital role in the deterioration of the stone matrix. The sides of the temple that face the sea as well as the upper part of the temple show intense alveolarization and the stone variety was petrologically identified as “garnetiferous hornblende biotite granite”. The evaluation of results in terms of the efficacy of ethyl silicate consolidation of stone after desalination is very difficult due to continuous sea sprays. The compatible lime rendering evidenced in the shelter area and then scientifically examined during this study may be applied as a protective layer to safeguard and conserve the lone Pallava edifice on the seashore from deterioration in tropical and hygric saline conditions.

Multifunctional landscapes identification and associated development zoning in mountainous area

Multifunctional landscape has become a new discipline growth point in landscape ecology. Globally mountainous areas occupy about one fifth of Earth's surface. However, few studies focused on landscape multifunctionality in mountainous areas. Taking Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, China, as a case study area, five typical landscape functions (net primary productivity, soil retention, water yield, crop production, and residential support) were quantified and mapped. Hotspots of multiple landscape functions were identified using spatial overlap tools, interaction between each landscape function pair was discussed through Spearman's rank correlation analysis, and development zoning was conducted based on landscape function bundle. The results showed that, about 61% of the study area had at least one kind of landscape function hotspot, with only 2.7% covering three or more kinds of landscape function hotspots. Significant trade-offs or synergies existed between all pairs of landscape functions, except the pair of net primary productivity and residential support. With the application of Self-Organizing Feature Maps (SOFM) method, the study area was divided into four types of development zones (i.e. ecological shelter area, ecological transition area, suburban development area, and urban agglomeration area) which were all corresponding to different landscape function bundles. This study could provide spatial guidance for differentiated sustainable developing in mountainous areas according to local conditions of landscape multifunctionality.

Emergency shelters location-allocation problem concerning uncertainty and limited resources: a multi-objective optimization with a case study in the Central area of Beijing, China

The special planning for shelters is an integral part of overall city planning and is a key issue in solving the urban security problem. During the planning of earthquake emergency shelters, it is usually necessary to prioritize the designated shelters to avoid wasting resources. However, in previous research initiatives, special attention has been given to the general location-allocation model without prior consideration of the designated shelters. This article presents a multi-objective supplemental location-allocation optimization model for earthquake emergency shelters that addresses the concerns related to the designated shelters. This model is believed to remain more consistent with the knowledge of shelter planners and policy makers by incorporating the uncertainties of the temporal dynamics of population distribution and the spatially heterogeneous distribution of evacuees under various earthquake damage scenarios by using the elliptical attenuation model for seismic intensity into the location-allocation problem. A case study of the central area of Beijing, China is presented. A modified particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to solve the supplemental location-allocation model and the general location-allocation model, and the solutions obtained from the two models are then compared. The results show that the solutions of the supplemental location-allocation model significantly minimized the shelter area by prioritizing the designated shelters. By contrast, without prior consideration of the designated shelters, the shelter areas significantly increased, which slightly decreased the evacuation distance in the general location-allocation model. The policy makers could select solutions from the obtained minimal-area scheme using the supplemental location-allocation model that ensures acceptable evacuation distances and minimal budgets by prioritizing the designated shelters during the phased planning of shelters in Beijing.

'Patterns and causes of marsupial paths in subalpine Tasmania

Animal paths can improve connectivity of species, alter vegetation growth, reduce fuel loads and further our knowledge of the behavioural ecology of mammals. Path patterning and the motivations for path creation are not well understood. The present study tested the hypotheses that animals form paths: (i) to efficiently move between palatable patches; (ii) for access to water; (iii) for access to shelter and (iv) to avoid predators. We used high-definition aerial online imagery to map paths in five treeless subalpine environments in Tasmania. Surveys of vegetation and scat counts were conducted at each site. We found that locality influenced wallaby scat density and that macropods and wombats created direct paths to move between areas of palatable vegetation, shelter and water. There was some weak indication of predator avoidance in some of the patterning. However, shelter from cold, strong southwesterly winds is a feasible alternative motivation for the patterns.

A hierarchical mathematical model of the earthquake shelter location-allocation problem solved using an interleaved MPSO–GA

Earthquake disaster management involves determining locations in which to construct shelters and how to allocate the affected population to them. A multi-objective, hierarchical mathematical model, allied with an interleaved modified particle swarm optimization algorithm and genetic algorithm (MPSO–GA), have been developed to solve the earthquake shelter location-allocation problem. From a set of candidate shelter locations, the model first determines which of these should act as emergency shelters and then which should be used as long-term shelters, while simultaneously optimizing the allocation of a population to them. Damage caused to evacuation routes is considered in addition to the number of evacuees and shelter capacity. In terms of the model’s emergency and long-term shelter stages, the objectives are to minimize (i) total weighted evacuation time, and (ii) total shelter area used. An interleaved MPSO–GA applied to the model yielded better results than achieved using MPSO or GA in isolation. For a case study with an earthquake affecting the area of Jinzhan within Beijing’s Chaoyang district in China, results generated present government with a range of solution options. Thus, based on government preferences, choices can be made regarding the locations in which to construct shelters and how to allocate the population to them.

Delineating the Service Area of Cyclone Shelter and Vulnerable Households Using Network Analyst Tool: a Case Study on Southkhali Union of Bagerhat District, Bangladesh

In Southkhali Union of Bagerhat district in Bangladesh about 47% of the total population is living beyond the service area of cyclone shelters (CS) not only for the carrying capacity of CS but also for the accessibility. Location-allocation tool of Network Analyst tool in ArcGIS determined the service area of each CS in the study area based on its shelter capacity and accessibility. People residing outside the service area of cyclone shelter are highly vulnerable due to low elevation of land and poor housing structure. The location-allocation tool of Network Analyst provided the proper evacuation plan that would identify the shelter location for each household or cluster of population and the evacuation route also. It would also help to find the proper location to build new shelters for unserved community.
 Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 44(2): 137-148, December 2018