Location-allocation modeling for emergency evacuation planning with GIS and remote sensing: A case study of Northeast Bangladesh

This work developed models to identify optimal spatial distribution of emergency evacuation centers(EECs) such as schools, colleges, hospitals, and fire stations to improve flood emergency planning in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh.The use of location-allocation models(LAMs) for evacuation in regard to flood victims is essential to minimize disaster risk.In the first step, flood susceptibility maps were developed using machine learning models(MLMs), including: Levenberg–Marquardt back propagation(LM-BP) neural network and decision trees(DT) and multi-criteria decision making(MCDM) method.Performance of the MLMs and MCDM techniques were assessed considering the area under the receiver operating characteristic(AUROC) curve.Mathematical approaches in a geographic information system(GIS) for four well-known LAM problems affecting emergency rescue time are proposed: maximal covering location problem(MCLP), the maximize attendance(MA), p-median problem(PMP), and the location set covering problem(LSCP).The results showed that existing EECs were not optimally distributed, and that some areas were not adequately served by EECs(i.e., not all demand points could be reached within a 60-min travel time).We concluded that the proposed models can be used to improve planning of the distribution of EECs, and that application of the models could contribute to reducing human casualties, property losses, and improve emergency operation.     

Investigation of the probable trigger factor for large landslides in north of Dehdasht,Iran

Natural Hazards - Charosa and Dehdasht is a part of folded Zagros that is located in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran. This area is covered with several Zagros...     

Credibility of design rainfall estimates for drainage infrastructures: extent of disregard in Nigeria and proposed framework for practice

Natural Hazards - Rainfall intensity or depth estimates are vital input for hydrologic and hydraulic models used in designing drainage infrastructures. Unfortunately, these estimates are...     

Role of land surface parameter change in dust emission and impacts of dust on climate in Southwest Asia

Natural Hazards - Spatial–temporal changes of land surface parameters (land cover change, net primary production, and vegetation phenology) affect the characteristics of atmospheric dust....     

A multifractal cross-correlation investigation into sensitivity and dependence of meteorological and hydrological droughts on precipitation and temperature

Natural Hazards - Several studies have been conducted on droughts, precipitation, and temperature, whereas none have addressed the underlying relationship between nonlinear dynamic properties and...     

Numerical Analysis of Himalayan Rock Tunnels under Static and Blast Loading

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - Tunnels have been the necessary element of the modern construction industry. Due to their importance for the infrastructural and economic point of view,...     

Impact of droughts on child mortality: a case study in Southern African countries

Natural Hazards - Natural hazards like floods and droughts affect many aspects of life. The study in particular examined the impacts of droughts on under-five mortality rate in Southern Africa,...     

Biostratigraphy,Depositional and Diagenetic Processes in Carbonate Rocks from Southern Lebanon: Impact on Porosity and Permeability

Carbonate rocks contain prolific hydrocarbon reserves all over the world, particularly in the Middle East. For exploration and production strategies, it is essential to understand carbonate reservoirs in terms of their internal characteristics, depositional environment, relative age, diagenetic processes and impact on petrophysical properties. This study has been performed on exposed Cretaceous, Paleocene and Miocene marine carbonate sedimentary sequences in two localities (Maghdoucheh and Qennarit) near the city of Sidon (Southern Lebanon). It represents the first comprehensive study that takes into consideration the carbonate reservoir facies, diagenetic history and reservoir quality in the area. Rocks at Maghdoucheh are mainly dominated by limestone beds showing sedimentary structures and erosive bases alternating with microfossil-rich silty marls, related to a shallowing upward sequence in a restricted marine platform environment. Shells of benthic foraminifera and mollusks dominate the fossil assemblage extracted from the studied rocks. The microfossil and nannofossil assemblage detected in the Maghdoucheh sections indicates a middle Miocene age. Rocks at Qennarit are composed of mudstone/wackestone limestone beds rich in planktonic foraminifera and nannofossils related to open marine conditions. Based on the nannofossil content, rocks from Qennarit 1 and 2 are Paleocene and Cretaceous in age, respectively. Four main types of microfacies have been identified, i.e. (1) microbioclastic peloidal calcisiltite, (2) pelagic lime mudstone and wackestone with planktonic microfossils, (3) grainstone/packstone with abundant foraminifera and (4) fenestral bindstones, mudstones and packstones with porostromate microstructures. The porosity-permeability (poro-perm) analysis of representative samples reveals moderate to good porosity but very low permeability. This is mainly due to the presence of large moldic pores that are isolated in nature. The diagenetic features are dominated by micritization and dissolution (both fabric selective and non-fabric selective). Among all diagenetic features, dissolution in both localities contributes to porosity enhancement, while micritization, cementation, compaction and the filled fractures have negative impacts on permeability; hence the overall reservoir quality.