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. 2018 Jun 14;15(6):1261.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061261.

Urban Resources Selection and Allocation for Emergency Shelters: In a Multi-Hazard Environment

Wei Chen  1 , Guofang Zhai  2 , Chongqiang Ren  3 , Yijun Shi  4 , Jianxin Zhang  5
Affiliations

Urban Resources Selection and Allocation for Emergency Shelters: In a Multi-Hazard Environment

Wei Chen et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

This study explores how emergency shelters can adapt to a multi-hazard environment by geographic information system (GIS) and takes Guangzhou as a case for analysis. The physical suitability of the overall urban resources was first assessed by aiming to select the suitable resources and safe locations for emergency shelters in the context of multiple disasters. Afterward, by analyzing the scale and spatial distribution of affected areas and populations under different types of disaster scenarios, the demand for different kinds of shelters were predicted. Lastly, taking into account the coverage of the affected people, shelters were allocated according to different conditions in the districts. This work will hopefully provide a reference for the construction of emergency shelters and help form emergency operations in order to mitigate the impact of hazards. The issues identified in the study need to be further studied in medium or small-scale cities.

Keywords: emergency shelter; multi-hazard environment; urban resource.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Location of (a) Guangdong Province in China; (b) Guangzhou (study area) and (c) 11 districts in Guangzhou.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Planning community population density by 2020 (Source: Guangzhou City Master Plan for 2011–2020).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Assessment of (a) overall urban resource and (b) facilities considered as candidate shelters in a multi-hazard environment.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Composition of (a) outdoor available resource (b) indoor available resource.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Service area of the candidate shelters selected from existing available resources.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Existing per capita available resource area and coverage rate.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution of (a) inundated area and (b) affected people during floods.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Allocation of emergency shelters in a multi-hazard environment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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