Determination and Evaluation of Alternatives for Post-Earthquake Temporary Sheltering Area

OpenAlex İngilizce

After natural disasters like earthquakes, identifying the locations of disaster victims and establishing temporary shelter areas are essential for their mental and physical well-being. Evaluating and determining such areas has been a key focus for researchers to provide decision-makers with data to create suitable solutions. Türkiye, located in a disaster-prone region, experienced two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş in February 2023. This study focuses on determining the temporary shelter areas in Hatay, a severely affected province. The research consists of two main parts: (i) The suitability of neighborhoods and districts for post-disaster settlement is evaluated based on logistics, transportation, and infrastructure. Additionally, seismicity and liquefaction safety coefficients were used to calculate the suitability values. Findings show that the neighborhoods in the Reyhanlı district align well with the determined criteria. (ii) Temporary shelter areas are selected using the p-median model, which is applied to solve the location selection problems. Results indicate that if five shelter sites are to be established, one should be located in Kumlu, while the remaining four should be in the Erzin district. These findings aim to provide a systematic approach for planning post-disaster temporary shelters in earthquake-affected regions.