Site Suitability of Evacuation Centers in Zamboanga City, Philippines using GIS: Assessing Safety and Accessibility in Hazard-Prone Areas
Site Suitability of Evacuation Centers in Zamboanga City, Philippines using GIS: Assessing Safety and Accessibility in Hazard-Prone Areas

Summary/Abstract: Climate change is a present-day problem, making areas previously unaffected by natural hazards now vulnerable to disasters. Building resilient cities involves ensuring effective disaster response, which includes providing safe and accessible evacuation centers (ECs). This study evaluates the suitability of ECs in Zamboanga City, Philippines, by assessing their safety and accessibility. Using QGIS, the exposure of ECs to various natural hazards was analyzed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to determine the weights for each criterion. Results revealed that most of the ECs are moderately suitable in terms of safety, with a few highly suitable. However, accessibility ratings varied, highlighting the need for improvements in infrastructure in certain areas. The study emphasizes the reality that not all safe ECs are accessible, and not all accessible ECs are safe.

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