Method for site selection of relief supply warehouses in earthquakes with Ms ≥ 7—a case study of western Yunnan, China

Relief supply warehouses are material warehouses built to cope with natural disasters and guarantee the supply of life necessities. Great earthquakes (with Ms ≥ 7) are overwhelming natural disasters beyond human control. The efficiency in rescuing earthquake victims depends on if the construction preparations of large relief supply warehouses have fully assessed the influence weights of the factors of large earthquake disasters. We innovatively proposes a method for selecting ideal site of relief supply warehouses in terms of seismic evaluation and the quantification of site selection criteria. We assess disaster-affected areas and screen the transport mode of relief supplies based on seismic prediction and remote sensing recognition, quantify and classify the site selection criteria of relief supply warehouses in China, and finally determine the ideal site. Taking a seismically-active region as a study case, we identify seven major disaster-affected areas, estimate the largest safe flight range (255 km) of a helicopter in post-earthquake transport of relief supplies, and pre-selecte 37 candidate sites. We suggest that the spatial distances between candidate sites and essential transport hubs (such as airports, railway stations, and highway entrances/exits) and the construction planning of the city are crucial indicators for the ideal site selection.