Multiparameter assessment guide for emergency shelters: Disaster relief applications

A detailed review was conducted of the building industry to develop a list of viable candidates for use as emergency shelter structures. To facilitate this review, a side-by-side analysis of each system had to be conducted. This analysis was facilitated through a request for proposal in which a prototype building was submitted to each interested group. Each party was required to submit a detailed proposal for review by the research team. The investigative team measured each shelter system against 18 performance parameters, classified as military (end-user), structural, and pass/fail. Four shelter systems provided adequate documentation with respect to structural performance and usage parameters. This paper reports on the results of this investigation and develops a list of general conclusions with respect to available emergency shelter systems. This work was supported by the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, University of South Florida, under contract from the Office for Naval Research.