Optimal Temporary Settlement Area Identification Post-Flood Using Crisis Management and Fuzzy MCE (Dehaghan County)

Subject Areas : Environmental Planning and Management

Meisam Jafari ¹ (Department of HSE Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran)
دلارام سیکارودی ² (Department of HSE Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran)
Mohammad Esmail Roufi Dahaghani1 ³ (1- Department of HSE Engineering, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran)

Received: 2024-03-26 Accepted : 2024-09-09 Published : 2024-09-18

Keywords: Crisis management, emergency shelter, site selection, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Dahqan, flood,

Abstract :

In today’s world, the frequency of natural and human-induced disasters, particularly in unprepared communities, has escalated into serious crises. Events such as earthquakes and floods not only inflict substantial human and financial losses but also displace millions of individuals. This study focuses on determining the optimal locations for emergency shelter sites in Dahqan County, Isfahan Province. The primary aim of this research is to identify suitable areas for temporary accommodation following floods, utilizing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and multi-criteria evaluation methods, specifically the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Evaluation (Fuzzy MCE). Key criteria for site selection—including proximity to roads, streams, land slope, and land use—were assessed. The findings reveal that the northeastern regions of Dahqan County are identified as low-risk and suitable for temporary accommodation. Among the evaluated criteria, land slope percentage emerged as the most significant factor, with a weight of 0.20, followed by distance from waterways (0.18) and distance from roads (0.15). Furthermore, the application of fuzzy membership functions in the evaluation process has improved the accuracy of the analyses and facilitated the identification of safer areas. This study concludes with recommendations for enhancing crisis management and optimizing emergency shelter site selection, including the creation of a comprehensive database, conducting training sessions, and designing resilient infrastructure.

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