Assessing Vulnerability and Suitability of Schools Shelters for Flood Displaced Victims in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

This study assessed the vulnerability and suitability levels of schools as a determinant of their choice as temporary shelters for flood-displaced victims in Port Harcourt Metropolis. The study adopted a quantitative survey approach and used a total of nine hundred and three (903) schools in the study area, made up of private and public schools, which were classified into low, moderate and high vulnerability ans suitability levels using the open space suitability index. The research used descriptive statistics and Nearest neighbour analysis to analyze the data classified into low vulnerability level to determine the site suitability level of the schools in the survey. The result revealed that the distribution pattern of schools was significantly dispersed, while the determinant factors of schools selected as suitable for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps showed that 86.75% of the classrooms were large; with 66% having between 1 and 5 classrooms. 75% of the schools were safe from being attacked by kidnappers, gunmen, and other vices, with 70% being close to police stations/military bases and 60% close to health centres; 51.8% were accessible by road, with 60% of the schools having potable waters. Whereas this result signified that the majority of the schools (89.16%) could serve as IDP camps for flood disaster victims, it fails to provide measures that could mitigate the effects of disruption to the education of these children that would be displaced by flood victims-in-shelter while occupying there schools, hence the need for continuous education system strategy. It is thus recommended among others that, apart from the provision of more buildings in schools to enable many people to be accommodated during flood disasters, investing in mechanisms that will keep the students from loosing steam in their education at this period is equally important.