A new methodology for quantitative assessment of nearby disaster rescue capacity

Earthquake disaster rescue has often exceeded the capacity of local government; this paper provides a methodology for measuring disaster rescue capacity from the perspective of areas nearby disaster zones. The focus is on four key elements that affect the nearby disaster rescue capacity (hereinafter referred to as NDRC): nearby disaster relief resources, the survival ratio, the time range, and the transportation conditions of disaster areas. We apply our methodology to five disaster areas in the North-South seismic belt of China. The results show that NDRC can reflect the regional differences in rescue vulnerability. For example: Lushan and Minxian turn out to be less vulnerability in post-earthquake rescue, because they are near the capital city and can thus receive a larger rescue force as part of an immediate post-disaster response; on the other hand, Yiliang, Shangri-La, and Yingjiang have a high rescue vulnerability, because their nearby regions have lagging economies, as well as disaster areas have poor conditions of transportation.