Evaluated Post-Disaster and Emergency Assembly Areas Using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Techniques: A Case Study of Turkey

Abstract

Disaster is a general term for events that result in physical, economic, and social losses for people and occur when insufficient resources exist. Natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, are frequent occurrences worldwide. Although plans are made for both pre-and post-disaster periods, the painful experience of the recent major earthquake on the Eastern Anatolian Fault Line in Turkey has highlighted the inadequacy of these plans in terms of feasibility. Preventing future disasters is possible by implementing a good disaster management plan. Identifying emergency assembly areas after a disaster is one of the most critical issues in disaster management. This study used four multi-criteria decision-making techniques—AHP, TOPSIS, COPRAS, and BORDA—to evaluate the selection and suitability of emergency assembly areas for the Gölbaşı district of Ankara, Turkey. The AHP method was used to weight criteria, which were then applied in various decision-making approaches. Finally, utilizing the BORDA method, the alternative ranking derived from the AHP, TOPSIS, and COPRAS procedures was rated as more effective. According to the findings, the Sacrificial Slaughter Area, Green Area, Şehir Park, Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Sports Complex, and the Türkiye Muhasebeciler Association (İncek and Taşpınar) are determined the five most effective emergency assembly areas in the Gölbaşı district.