Abstract

Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, cyclones, storms, earthquakes, wildfires, and landslides displace people. As responses at the community resilience level, the temporary post-relief shelter is critical for the community's rapid recovery. Converting existing public facilities is the fastest way to respond to a crisis. However, the Hurricane Katrina Superdome Shelter alerted society to the prevalence of sexual assault in transitory catastrophe contexts. Not only has sexual abuse occurred, but prior shelters did not equip every user with physical barriers to suit their needs. This study examined academic journals, articles, and books to identify issues with natural disaster shelters created between 2000 and 2024. The design approach for the shelter layout was sought after analyzing the literature, which included instructions from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross, CDC, the Sphere Handbook, The UN Refugee Agency, and ICC/NSSA Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters, as well as the ADA Checklist for Emergency. Based on the existing literature, establishing physical barriers is critical to ensuring the safety of disaster survivors, maintaining proper hygiene/sanitation in the facility, improving the mental health of staff members and temporary shelter residents, and meeting the specific needs of a specific group; all of which play an important role in the community's rapid recovery.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Disaster victims--Housing--Design; Refugees--Housing; Emergency management--Standards; Disaster victims--Care; Emergency housing--Design and construction

Publication Date

5-7-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Architecture (M.Arch.)

Department, Program, or Center

Architecture, Department of

College

Golisano Institute for Sustainability

Advisor

Dennis Andrejko

Advisor/Committee Member

Alissa De Wit-Paul

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

ARCH-MARCH

Download

Share

COinS