Tent City Research Articles

Physical Symptoms and Coping Strategies With Earthquake Stress Among Adults Living in Tent Cities: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study aimed to examine the physical symptoms, coping strategies for earthquake stress and factors predicting coping strategies among adults staying in tent cities after an earthquake. A cross-sectional design was conducted. The study sample consisted of 706 adults residing in tent cities in three cities of earthquake-affected regions. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys and the Earthquake Coping Strategies Scale, starting from the 16th day after the earthquake in February-March 2023. Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, McNemar test and multiple linear regression analysis used for data analysis. The first three physical symptoms with the highest frequency after the earthquake were insomnia, frequent waking and difficulty falling asleep, respectively. Individuals with chronic illnesses, lower education levels, no previous experience with earthquakes and having undamaged homes more frequently used religious coping strategies. Individuals with higher incomes, employed individuals, non-smokers and those with having undamaged homes more frequently used positive reappraisal strategies. The present study concluded that physical symptoms were common among individuals in the post-earthquake period and that many individuals adopted religious coping strategies. Nurses can develop effective interventions for preventing physical and mental health problems in the post-earthquake period. They can contribute significantly as caregivers, leaders, researchers and advisors in health monitoring and improvement practices for individuals after earthquakes. The results of the study are instructive for designing prevention and improvement practices to minimise future destructive effects of earthquakes. Individuals mostly experienced sleep problems and preferred different coping styles in the early post-earthquake period. The physical and mental health of individuals can be improved by early intervention and encouraging effective coping methods after an earthquake. STROBE checklist. No patient or public involvement.

The impact of scabies in tent cities in Kahramanmaraş after the Turkish earthquakes: oral pharmacologic treatment efficacy

Background Our study was conducted to determine the impact of scabies in people living in collective living areas such as tent cities and container cities after the February 6 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and to show the effectiveness of oral ivermectin treatment on scabies cases because topical treatments could not be used in this period when access to water was limited. Methods Among 233 patients diagnosed and treated with scabies in tent and container cities, 192 patients who met the criteria were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were given as number (n), percentage (%), mean, median, standard deviation (SD). In the comparison of categorical data, the chi-square test was applied; in the comparison of numerical data ANOVA analyses was applied. Results A total of 192 scabies patients (82.4%), 47.9% (N:92) of whom were women, were included in the study. The frequency of scabies in the total population in tent cities and container cities was found to be at least 0.54%. The most common symptoms were pruritis (99.0%) and rash (97.9%). The most common sites of lesion involvement were the umbilicus (87.0.%), forearm (75.0%), and back (70.3%). After the first dose of ivermectin, 159 (82.8%) patients showed complete recovery, while 30 (15.6%) patients showed partial recovery. 3 (1.6%) patients showed no improvement. After the second dose of ivermectin, 173 (90.1%) patients showed complete recovery. There were two (1.0%) patients who did not show improvement after two doses. Due to the deterioration of urban infrastructure after devastating earthquakes, the irregularity of mass living areas, the lack of hygiene conditions, and the difficulty of accessing clean, usable water, oral ivermectin may be the first choice for treatment in terms of ease of use and effectiveness.

Epidemiology of respiratory infection pathogens using multiplex RT-qPCR in big earthquakes Area in Turkey (2023)

IntroductionThe Kahramanmaraş earthquake, which has been classified as an earthquake with significant and destructive consequences on a global scale, has been referred to as "the disaster of the century.", occurred on February 6, 2023. A considerable number of structures were destroyed and a significant amount of damage was incurred in 11 provinces, including Kahramanmaraş. Respiratory tract infections are a serious public health problem seen in all age groups among earthquake victims living in tent and container cities. ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to determine the causative agents in respiratory tract samples taken for screening purposes from earthquake victims living in tent cities in the earthquake zone and to provide early diagnosis. MethodGaziantep Provincial Health Directorate Infectious Diseases Unit filiation teams collected nasopharyngeal swabs from earthquake victims living in tent cities around Gaziantep province between March 25 and March 30, 2023. The presence of 18 viruses and 6 bacteria that are causing respiratory tract infections were simultaneously detected by the Real-Time qPCR (RT-qPCR) technique. ResultsIn the present study, respiratory pathogens were detected in 470 (56.62 %) of a total of 830 patients. The most frequently isolated agents were rhinovirus (20 %, 94/470), S. pneumoniae (12.87 %, 60/470), RSV A/B (12.12 %, 57/470), H. influenza type b (10. 85 %, 51/470) and others. Rhinovirus was the most frequently detected pathogen in the study. The coexistence of more than one pathogen was also detected. The most common association was found between HRV and S. pneumoniae (20.93 %, 9/43). ConclusionThe results of the present study indicate that public health measures should be prioritized in natural disasters, and ıt demonstrates that infectious diseases became a significant problem in the time period after the earthquake. Early results can be obtained by screening viral and bacterial pathogen in respiratory tract samples with RT-qPCR, and an early diagnosis is ensured.

The disaster of the century, Kahramanmaras earthquake: A qualitative study on the experiences of the earthquake victims and search and rescue teams

This study aimed to explore the experiences of earthquake victims who experienced the Kahramanmaras earthquakes and individuals who actively served in search and rescue teams in the field. In this qualitative study, data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) forms from 47 earthquake victims living in various tent cities and 46 members of search and rescue teams in the Kahramanmaras and Hatay provinces. In-depth individual and focus group interviews were conducted using the maximum variation sampling method, which is a purposive sampling method, to identify the experiences of the participants. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The results revealed that search and rescue teams faced problems in coordination and transportation, communication, debris safety, and multidisciplinary reinforcement of their teams, especially during the intervention phase. Earthquake victims, on the other hand, were affected psychosocially and faced many problems such as access to the allocation of resources and aids and lack of information before, during, and after the earthquakes. In this context, these themes on the experiences of large-scale earthquakes that caused great psychosocial, economic, and social devastation from the perspectives of earthquake victims and search and rescue teams can contribute to the planning of early disaster prevention and response strategies for policymakers to improve disaster management at national and international levels.

Assessment of healthcare needs on disabled earthquake survivors after the Malatya earthquake

BACKGROUND: The earthquake that occurred in Turkey on February 6, 2023 is considered the biggest disaster of the century, having a major impact on 10 provinces of Turkey. This study might provide the necessary data for healthcare services planning for disabled earthquake survivors according to their needs after the Malatya earthquake. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This mixed-patterned study was conducted in Malatya between February 17 and 20, 2023, with 30 disabled earthquake survivors. It was a mixed-methods study which involved both qualitative study using a semi-structured interview and quantitative analysis using both the Disability Status Analysis Questionnaire and the Exercise of Self-Care Agency Scale (ESCA). RESULTS: The study determined four themes: “Accessibility to Assistive Devices,” “Establishment of Special Facilities for Disabled Individuals after the Earthquake,” “Suitability of Living Areas,” and “Accessibility to Campgrounds and Tent Cities.” The ESCA mean score of all disabled earthquake survivors was 87.47 ± 13.75 and those with multiple disabilities had lower ESCA scores (P < .05). CONCLUSION: It was found that disabled earthquake survivors had difficulties in meeting their basic needs after the earthquake. It is considered vital to include disabled individuals and their families in disaster planning and to teach them about these plans.

Determinants of Psychosocial Health Status in Pregnant and Postpartum Women Experiencing Earthquake in Turkey.

It is well known that natural disasters such as earthquakes negatively affect physical and mental health by exposing people to excessive stress. The aim of this study was to investigate determinants of psychosocial health status among the pregnant and postpartum women who experienced earthquake in Türkiye. Pregnant and postpartum women (n = 125) living in tent cities in the Kahramanmaraş region formed the study sample. Data were collected between February 20 and 26, 2023, through face-to-face interviews. The instruments used for data collection were the Introductory Form, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Traumatic Childbirth Perception Scale, and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Short Scale. A moderate positive relationship was found between stress and posttraumatic stress and traumatic childbirth perception in pregnant and postpartum women, and a high positive relationship was found between anxiety and depression. A high level of relationship was found between anxiety and stress and depression. It is seen that the psychosocial health of pregnant and postpartum women, who belong to the risk group in the earthquake zone, is at high risk. Psychological support is urgently needed to preserve and improve their psychosocial health.

Tent-cities: A resilient future urban solution to live and mitigate earthquake damages

Earthquakes are expected to increase in intensity and frequency in regions like Anatolia, Arabia, Persia, and North Africa due to intensive oil extraction over decades. This highlights the need for innovative approaches to effectively address and mitigate the consequences of such seismic events. Here, I propose the development and utilization of tent as a cost-effective and viable alternative to traditional and high-rise cement-based constructions, aiming to reduce earthquake damages. With a rich history in nomadic practices, tents can be strengthened by integrating cutting-edge technologies that make them adaptable, climate-responsive, and earthquake-resistant solutions. By using natural materials like wool and cotton enhanced with waterproof and fireproof properties, tents can provide both comfort and versatility in various weather conditions. The goal of habitation is to furnish a secure and comfortable living space with essential amenities for safety and well-being. Tent-based communities could present an eco-friendly housing alternative and reduce the impact of destructive earthquakes by minimizing debris and rubble. In warm regions, tents can serve as year-round habitable spaces. Establishing tent cities or villages in such areas can effectively mitigate earthquake damages while also promoting sustainability and a healthy lifestyle. Skillfully extrapolating and adapting traditional urban design to tent-based materials could offer the potential to construct fully functional smart-tent cities that provide contemporary living comforts and safeguard against earthquakes and climate challenges. With modern manufacturing capabilities and urban planning, tents can benefit from advanced design principles to deliver safety, comfort, and an enduring ability to weather adverse climate conditions and earthquake damages.

Development of a mobile wind power plant for power supply of the troops

The scientific article was published as part of the implementation of the scientific project of grant funding for 2022-2024 IRN № АР148039/0222 «Scientific and technical substantiation of the parameters and development of a wind power plant for the electric power supply of the objects of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations of the Republic of Kazakhstan» (the study is funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The article presents the results of the development of a mobile wind power plant for the energy supply of troops. In the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan, there is a need to create and implement technical devices that convert wind energy into electrical energy and have no analogues. As a result of the research, a mobile wind power plant was developed, the main element of which is a pair of identical vertically arranged curved blades. The developed design can be used in any regions of Kazakhstan. The wind plant is not tied to the weather characteristics of the area, it is able to operate in low light and low winds. It can be used to ensure a guaranteed minimum power supply to military facilities in areas of centralized power supply experiencing a shortage of energy, to prevent damage from emergency and restrictive shutdowns. In addition, to provide electricity to both technological military consumers: communication equipment, radar installations, electric drives of combat systems, lighting installations, and technical military consumers: hospitals, military camps, training centers and training grounds, military facilities support units and units located in shelter, tent cities, etc.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Container Cities and Tent Cities for Earthquake Victims: Environmental Impacts and Sustainability Considerations

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Container Cities and Tent Cities for Earthquake Victims: Environmental Impacts and Sustainability Considerations

Out Here on Our Own: An Oral History of an American Boomtown. By J.J. Anselmi

Beginning with an acknowledgment of stolen land and the 1885 Chinese Massacre at Rock Springs, Wyoming, author, musician, and former resident J.J. Anselmi curates “a collection of stories told by people who, at one time or another, have called that place home” (p. ix). Anselmi places forty-one twenty-first-century interviews in conversation with each other and nine published first-person accounts to unveil local perceptions over time of the relentless plunder of a western place and the resiliency of its people. Twelve thematic chapters uncover the ways Rock Springs inhabitants adapted to coal mining’s boom-bust economic cycles, assaults on physical and mental health, and the area’s harsh isolation: what one narrator calls “nature’s brutality” (p. 69). Teens during the 1970’s boom now recall swelled populations, tent cities, free-flowing money, and a ten-to-one male-to-female ratio; also, civic corruption, gambling, prostitution, suicide, violence, and underage substance abuse. The inevitable bust that followed collapsed Rock Springs into one of “these bare-bones communities that are sucked dry” (p. 63).

Humanitarian Aid as Global Governance: The Architecture of the Red Cross’s Relief Operations after the 1976 Guatemala Earthquake

This paper analyses the disaster relief operation that was set in motion immediately after the 1976 Guatemala earthquake through the activities of the Guatemalan Red Cross Society. Already in the emergency phase, “Guatecruz” built field offices in the disaster region to manage both the relief efforts as well as to set up forty-three tent cities. By taking a seat in the disaster zone, as opposed to coordinating from a distant headquarters, Guatecruz became the main governing body in a large network of different national and international state and non-state actors. This paper sets out to elucidate the non-governmental logic behind the making, financing, building, and operation of Guatecruz’s field offices and introduce it as an early example of contracting out services that were previously controlled by the government to non-governmental organisations. Untangling a large-scale humanitarian crisis from these field offices, this paper introduces a specific institutional history that uses decentralisation as a method to plan, develop, and build an “architecture of global governance.”

‘Forced to Become a Community’: Encampment Residents’ Perspectives on Systemic Failures, Precarity, and Constrained Choice

Homelessness is a serious public health concern with devastating consequences for health and wellbeing of homeless people. Visible signs of homelessness often appear in the form of encampments or tent cities. Such sites often raise controversies about public health and safety without attention to the structural, systemic and individual factors that contribute to their existence, including deficits in basic determinants of health and a failure to protect human rights to housing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the conditions that contribute to homeless encampments and ongoing issues of precarity, and right to housing from the perspective of residents of one encampment. The data set was comprised of 47 affidavits taken from 33 people from one tent city in Victoria, British Columbia (BC) in anticipation of legal action to remove residents and their belongings in 2016. We used Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach to thematic analysis to identify, analyze and report patterns within the data. Residents spoke to systemic failures within the homeless sector itself as a factor in decisions to live in an encampment. Participants highlighted the challenges of ‘being chained to a backpack’ with nowhere to go and the impact of bylaws and policing on their health and well being. They acknowledged that while living in an encampment is a last resort it is often a better option than the streets or shelters with the benefits of a community, albeit a forced one with ongoing precarity. Public health responses to encampments should focus on centring human rights to adequate housing including self-determination and access to determinants of health. Such responses are aligned with public health commitments to health equity and social justice and require public health infrastructure.

Are mass gathering events hot spot for spreading of infectious diseases: The Kumbh Mela experience

Kumbh Mela, the largest spiritual mass gathering, witnessed around 240 million pilgrims in 2019 at Prayagraj. The huge gathering poses challenges of different kinds including easy transmission of infectious diseases. This research aims to identify the types and causes of infectious diseases and discuss the government's efforts for health and sanitation management. Secondary data from various reports have been used to support the study for which related websites, Prayagraj Mela Authority reports, peer-reviewed articles, and related literatures were studied. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have been done to find trends and have comparative studies among various Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh Melas. The study finds that there is spread of infectious diseases like Acute respiratory infections, fever, skin disease, dysentery etc. during the Kumbh Mela due to the huge population, restricted space, pressure on sanitation infrastructure, unhygienic living conditions, solid and liquid wastes generated during Mela, and pilgrims' social and religious psychologies. The number of pilgrims of the occasion has increased heavily with time. Based on the anticipated number various efforts and initiatives of the government and management such as advance disease surveillance system, HEAT map, ensuring safe drinking water, better sanitation and healthcare facilities has increased over the years to reduce its impact. Mass gathering events always draw attention to health hazards and in fact the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic forced to think about the organization of mass gathering events in future. The mega tent city that accommodates nearly millions of pilgrims in the river bed is significant not only for India but also for mass gathering research at the international level to draw policy and provide the opportunity to generate the evidence and document base for risk prevention, mitigation, and management planning of infectious diseases and disasters.

Pandemonium of diseases after floods – An emerging major health issue in Pakistan

Floods and heavy rain bring another disaster of diseases and pose a huge burden on the health care system. Pakistan is currently facing a major natural disaster of this decade, where Sindh and Baluchistan are badly affected. Millions of people are homeless and live in camps, shelter homes, or tent cities. The diseases that emerge immediately after floods include gastroenteritis with diarrhoea and vomiting, followed by vector-borne diseases (i.e. malaria and dengue fever) influenced by the growth of mosquitoes in the stagnant water. Due to unhygienic conditions and overcrowded camps, skin diseases emerge later. Altogether this situation causes major burden on the already weakened health care system, which is devastated due to rain and even destroyed in some places. Thus proper planning and preventive measures need to be taken on an urgent basis.

Without a right to remain: Property’s limits on Portland’s self-governing houseless encampments

With the rise of organized houseless encampments or “tent cities” around the U.S., scholars have begun to address the social-spatial effects of encampments on houseless peoples’ lives. This scholarship has primarily explained the development of organized encampments as an effect of neoliberal modes of governance as municipalities have sought to offload responsibility for caring for the houseless or to discipline houseless people by containing them through the regulative force of the state. Such explanations address the culpability of the state in relation to capital which shapes houseless peoples’ lives. Yet, they leave unaddressed one critical component of houseless encampments: that relations surrounding property ensure that houseless encampment residents remain property-insecure and without a guaranteed right to remain. Through a case study of self-governing houseless encampments in Portland, Oregon, the article advances a relational analysis of property and citizenship to show how self-governing houseless communities are denied key privileges of citizenship that democratic self-governance is intended to realize. In doing so, the case study examines the very tradeoffs houseless encampment residents must make when living in an encampment. The paper ends suggesting that Portland’s encampment model allows us to more clearly see the consequences of establishing collective rights to access property within liberal property systems, and from this, where political and scholarly attention ought to be placed to better protect houseless people through a more democratic right to remain.

Solving Hajj and Umrah Challenges Using Information and Communication Technology: A Survey

Hajj and Umrah are Muslims’ religious pilgrimages to Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Hajj is considered the largest annual gathering in the world. In Islam, each and every able-bodied adult is obligated to go for Hajj at least once in his/her lifetime. Hajj takes place between the 8^th and the 13^th day of Dhul Hijjah, which is the last month of the Islamic year while Umrah, the minor pilgrimage, could be done any time of the year. In Hajj, pilgrims, also known as Hajjis, travel around 15 km and pilgrims have the choice to do it by foot, bus or by train. The Hajj journey starts from Mina, which is considered the largest tent city in the world because it hosts more than 10,000 fire resistant tents, and includes various religious rituals. Around 3 million Muslims from more than 183 countries make Hajj every year and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working on increasing this number. Since 1989, researchers in various ICT domains have tried leveraging their expertise in solving challenges and issues related to Hajj and Umrah. Although several papers have surveyed efforts using technology in Hajj and Umrah research, none of them was comprehensive. In this paper, I classified research efforts that used information and communication technologies for solving Hajj and Umrah challenges over the past 33 years based on their applications in 10 categories. I also identified more than 30 technologies used by researchers all over the world to address Hajj and Umrah issues and group research efforts based on these technologies for ease of access. Furthermore, open challenges were discussed and new technologies that could be used to address these challenges were proposed.

Smart Mina: LoRaWAN Technology for Smart Fire Detection Application for Hajj Pilgrimage

The Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is one of the used communication systems that serve and enables the deployment of the Internet of Things (IoT), which occasionally transmit small size data. As part of the Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), LoRaWAN is characterized by its ability for low power consumption. In addition, it is built to provide more extended coverage and higher capacity with minimum cost. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility and scalability of LoRaWAN for the Mina area using a realistic network model. Mina, known as the world’s largest tent city, is a valley located in the east of Makkah city and surrounded by mountains. It accommodates up to 3 million pilgrims annually and contains more than 100000 tents. The performance was evaluated based on a fire detection-like application. Extensive simulations were conducted using the OMNeT++ simulator and Flora model to determine the delivery ratio, collision, and SF distribution for the simulated scenario with a network consisting of up to ten thousand end devices. The conducted simulations show a promising result for LoRaWAN technology for Mina city. It showed a consistent performance for LoRaWAN in most simulated scenarios when a high success ratio was achieved.

“A Tent City is Not a Place for a Family”: Mariel Cuban Women and Gendered Disorder at Regional Resettlement Facilities

“A Tent City is Not a Place for a Family”: Mariel Cuban Women and Gendered Disorder at Regional Resettlement Facilities

Got Wheat?

Got Wheat?

Performing an Anti-Homeless City

In the time of globalization, many cities, including the city of Victoria in BC, have engaged in a development model fueled by investment, tourism, and economic immigration. This model requires public authorities to implement policies that contribute to making cities worthy of capital, tourists, and immigrants. Digital connectivity, real estate development, local amenities, and revitalized neighbourhoods are essential ingredients for economic development. In contrast, poverty and urban decay are not good for the way of life that politicians, entrepreneurs, tourists, and urbanites desire. Therefore, all visual manifestations of urban decay, including homelessness, should be restricted by law. In response to this development model, homeless people are forced to perform actions that are banned like building tent cities in parks. In doing so, homeless people challenge exclusionary legal and spatial orderings that support anti-homeless cities.
 This paper develops a performativity-based approach to legal geography to contribute to the debate about homelessness in Canada. Rather than focusing on the social right to housing, my argument in this paper zeroes in on the right to use urban space without being excluded. To this goal, I explore interactions between local authorities, homeless people, and other social actors in Victoria to explain that reiterated human interaction is the means to perform and rectify legal and spatial orderings that segregate homeless people. Thus, the performativity-based approach to legal geography developed throughout this paper illustrates not only how anti-homeless cities are socially performed, but also how they are collectively contested.