Application of P-Median Model for Evacuation Process during Flood Disaster

When flood disaster strikes, thousands of affected people had to evacuate their homes and move to relief centers. The evacuation process must be handled quickly and efficiently in order to avoid much worse incidents. This study aims to identify optimal potential relief centers for the relocation of evacuees from the flood zone areas. P-median model is considered, in order to minimize travelled distance per person from the affected zones to the relief centers as well as to ensure that all the populations are moved. The model is applied in a case study conducted in Kuantan, Pahang which was the most affected district in the 2013 flood. The selected area for the analysis encompassed evacuees from 10 flood zones and it has the capacity of housing 12 relief centers. The results showed that only 5 relief centers should have been selected for the allocation of the evacuees.