Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. XIV
Written by Paul SESTRAS, Ioana POP, Florica MATEI, Catalin-Stefanel SABOU, Simion BRUMA, Silvia CHIOREAN, Elemer Emanuel SUBA, Mircea NAP, Iulia COROIAN, Jutka DEAK, Tudor SALAGEAN
In recent years, Romania has experienced an increasing frequency and intensity of severe storms, driven by climate change and resulting in amplified weather-related risks such as heavy rainfall, windstorms, and flash flooding. To enhance regional preparedness and support risk mitigation, this study proposes a GIS-based multi-criteria decision-making framework using the Analytic Hierarchy Process to identify optimal locations for severe storm refuges in Cluj County, Romania. Seven spatial factors were selected, consisting of elevation, slope, land use/land cover, population density, and proximity to roads, rivers, and healthcare facilities. Each factor was reclassified and weighted based on expert input and AHP pairwise comparisons, followed by a weighted overlay analysis in ArcGIS. The final suitability map categorizes the county into five classes: not suitable, less suitable, moderately suitable, suitable, and highly suitable. Results indicate that 68.67% of the total area (4569.5 km2) is moderately suitable, while only 0.07% (4.3 km2) is classified as highly suitable for refuge development. The most favourable areas are found near Cluj-Napoca, due to optimal elevation, gentle slopes, built-up and vegetated land cover, and high accessibility to infrastructure and services. This spatial approach offers a replicable model for enhancing disaster resilience in storm-affected regions of Eastern Europe.
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