Evaluation and analysis of physical vulnerability of rural settlements against earthquake disaster (Case Study: Rural of Yazd county)

Human beings have always been subject to the natural hazards as a permanent part of their life. Among them, devastating earthquakes are responsible for a large number of human casualty and financial losses. About a quarter of rural populations in Iran live in villages close to active geological faults. It necessitates a serious attention about the rate of vulnerability of such settlements. The present study aims to evaluate the physical vulnerability of rural settlements against earthquakes in Yazd County. A descriptive-analytical method is applied. Collected data include the spatial, graphical and locational data. Two models were used for data analysis: Topsis MDM and AHP. The results showed that all villages in Fajr rural district were less vulnerable against earthquake occurrence. In contrast, all villages in rural district of Allah Abad, except the village of Tamehr, were more vulnerable against earthquakes. Results also indicated that the age of most rural buildings were more than 20 years and their low-quality materials mainly include wood and mud. In addition, insufficient access to the networks and the lack of rural housing insurance are the other factors to increase the risk of vulnerability of rural settlements. For these reasons, it is necessary to encourage modernization and rehabilitation of buildings, selecting appropriate planning programs and supporting new ideas.