Analysis of Evacuation Time for Vulnerable Individuals During Inundation of Lowland Areas

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for establishing pre-emptive measures for disaster management. However, there is a lack of support systems available for vulnerable individuals living in disaster-prone regions in Korea. This study constructs a multi-agent simulation model to analyze the evacuation time for Dongnae district and Yeonje district in Busan, Korea. In disaster-prone regions, vulnerable people experience difficulties, such as, obtaining updated information about the disaster situation, and this reduces their evacuation speed. Additionally, there is a possibility that the evacuation speed, while evacuating vulnerable people, may decrease due to environmental and geographic factors, including the slope and elevation of the areas. Therefore, this section of the society requires special attention and policies that are different from those made for people who may not face such calamities and are physically abled. An analysis based on factors such as road slopes and delays in evacuation due to flooding, was conducted to formulate realistic evacuation plans for people who are vulnerable. The location of shelters in the case of flooding in Dongnae and Yeonje district, have been better identified. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the evacuation time could be reduced if wide-area evacuation is implemented. This study provides a base for developing suitable shelters and evacuation plans for disaster-prone regions.