Special needs hurricane shelters and the ageing population: development of a methodology and a case study application

Recent experience of hurricanes, particularly in the southeast United States, has heightened awareness of the multifaceted nature of and the challenges to effective disaster relief planning. One key element of this planning is providing adequate shelter at secure locations for people who evacuate. Some of these individuals will have ‘special needs’, yet there is little research on the relationship with shelter space. This study designed a geographic information systems‐based network optimisation methodology for the siting of special needs hurricane relief shelters, with a focus on the transportation component. It sought to find new locations for shelters that maximise accessibility by vulnerable populations, given capacity constraints, concentrating on the ageing population. The framework was implemented in a medium‐sized metropolitan statistical area in the state of Florida where data suggest a possible deficit in special needs shelter space. The study analysed options for increasing special needs shelter capacity, while considering potential uncertainties in transportation network availability.     

Inventory of emissions of primary air pollutants in the city of Kocaeli, Turkey

This study aims to obtain a reliable inventory of the emission rates of the principal air pollutants including PM, SO2, NOx) and CO in Kocaeli, Turkey. In the first stage, the pollutant sources classified as point, area and line sources are determined in the area. Then the annual emission rates of the pollutants released from these sources are estimated by the emission factors given by USEPA and CORINAIR. Results show that the annual emission rates for PM, SO2, NOx) and CO are 2195 tons, 5342 tons, 14632 tons and 23095 tons, respectively. On the other hand, the pollutant group with the highest contribution to total emission rate is determined as the point sources for NOx, which is responsible for 73% of total NOx emission, while it is the area sources for PM, SO2 and CO with the contribution percentages of 75, 76 and 69, respectively.     

An investigation of halogens in Izmit hazardous and clinical waste incinerator

In the combustion facilities, halogens (Cl, F, Br, I) should be considered with regard to the control of the compounds such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDD), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF), halogenated polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and volatile heavy metals formed as a result of incomplete combustion and caused adverse environmental effects. In this study halogens were observed in Izmit Hazardous and Clinical Waste Incinerator (IZAYDAS). Halogen contents of the combustion menu, flue gas, fly ash, bottom ash and filter cake were measured and their distributions in these exit streams were determined. Results showed that the major part of the halogens was partitioned to solid residues, i.e., bottom ash and filter cake which represents the removal by wet scrubbers. Fly ash and flue gas fractions of halogens were much lower due to the reduced formation of volatile compounds.     

Atmospheric deposition of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to Izmit Bay, Turkey

Wet deposition and dry deposition samples were collected in an urban/industrialized area of Izmit Bay, North-eastern Marmara Sea, Turkey, from September 2002 to July 2003. The samples were analyzed for sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds by using HPLC-UV technique. Wet and dry deposition concentrations and fluxes of PAHs were determined. The results showed that PAH concentrations were high because of industrial processes, heavy traffic and residential areas next to the sampling site. Total dry deposition flux of the fifteen 3-6 ring PAHs was 8.30 microg m(-2)day(-1), with a range of 0.034-1.77 microg m(-2)day(-1). The total wet deposition flux of the fifteen 3-6 ring PAHs was 1716 microg m(-2) 11 month(-1), with a range of 10-440 microg m(-2) 11 month(-1). Significant seasonal differences were observed in both types of deposition samples. The winter fluxes of total PAHs were 1.5 and 2.5 times greater than those of the warm period for wet and dry deposition samples, respectively. Factor analysis of dry deposition samples and back trajectory analysis of wet deposition samples were also used to characterize and identify the PAH emission sources in this study.     

Hawk moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) of Turkey and their zoogeographical distribution

The family Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) has 63 species in the western Palaearctic Region of the world. Thirty-four out of 63 species present in Turkey either permanently or temporarily. The subfamilies Smerinthinae, Sphinginae and Macroglossinae are consisted of 7, 4, and 23 species respectively Ten out of 34 species were captured in the field. Available knowledge of Sphingidae of Turkey was evaluated and summarized with this study as well.