Optimizing evacuation strategies in mountain communities to mitigate geohazards risk: A hybrid simulation framework

In this study, a framework was developed for simulating and optimizing evacuation strategies in response to geohazards in mountainous areas that considers the behavioral characteristics of residents. Firstly, satellite imagery to identify geographic features is used construct a simulation scenario. A hybrid algorithm is then applied, incorporating characteristic parameters to simulate a real-world evacuation scenario, reflecting crowd behaviour in emergencies. From the resulting simulation, the existing configuration of shelter locations are optimised to address the chaotic elements of the resultant crowd behaviour. The case study location for this geohazard scenario is a community in the Longmen Mountains in China.

The results showed that the optimized strategies helped facilitate the safe evacuation of residents. As such, the proposed framework represents a multidisciplinary approach to developing evacuation strategies in response to geohazards in mountainous areas while considering crowd behaviour. This is of particular importance given the limited scope of evacuation simulations for such hazard types, with frameworks instead focusing on fires and earthquakes.