CHALLENGES IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFRASTRUCTURE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Authors

  • Haruna Domanamwin Abudu Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Durban University of Technology, P. O. Box 1334, Durban, 4000, South Africa
  • Cecilia Modupe Mewomo Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Durban University of Technology, P. O. Box 1334, Durban, 4000, South Africa
  • Kofi Owusu Adjei Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, Sustainable Human Settlement Construction Research Centre, University of Johannesburg– Doornfontein Campus, Doornfontein, South Africa
  • Francis Kwesi Bondinuba Department of Construction Technology and Quantity Surveying, Faculty of Built and Natural Environment, Kumasi Technical University, P. O. Box 854, Kumasi, Ghana

Keywords:

emergency response, infrastructure, disaster risk management, global challenges, resilience

Abstract

This study identifies critical disaster preparedness and response capacity improvement areas. This study examines the challenges that emergency response infrastructure faces on the global level. The analysis of current trends, case studies, and expert opinions regarding emergency response infrastructure was conducted through a thorough literature review. The study reveals 15 significant challenges and is grouped into 7 categories: resource constraints and infrastructure issues; technological and information disparities; coordination and governance; social, cultural, and religious considerations; urbanisation and population dynamics; vulnerability and risk factors; and community engagement and participation. Moreover, disparities in resource access intensify vulnerabilities in marginalised communities, hindering equitable disaster response outcomes. Insights from this study can inform policymakers, emergency responders, and humanitarian organisations in prioritising investments, developing robust infrastructures, and fostering cross-border collaborations to mitigate disaster impacts effectively. Addressing the identified challenges can improve societal resilience, ensuring more equitable and efficient emergency response efforts that safeguard vulnerable populations and promote community well-being. This study contributes by synthesising diverse perspectives on global emergency response infrastructure challenges, offering a nuanced understanding of the interconnected issues.

References

Fu, M., Liu, R., & Liu, Q. (2024). Why individuals do not use emergency exit doors during evacuations: A virtual reality and eye-tracking experimental study. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 60, 102396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2024.102396

Ding, N., Chen, T., Zhu, Y., & Lu, Y. (2021). State-of-the-art high-rise building emergency evacuation behaviour. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 561, 125168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2020.125168

Longstaff, P. H., Armstrong, N. J., Perrin, K., Parker, W. M., & Hidek, M. A. (2010). Building resilient communities: A preliminary framework for assessment. Homeland Security Affairs, 6, 3, 1-23.

Wang, N., Gao, Y., Li, C. Y., & Gai, W. M. (2021). Integrated agent-based simulation and evacuation risk-assessment model for underground building fire: A case study. Journal of Building Engineering, 40, 102609. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.102609

Adjei, K.O., Abudu, H.D., Nana-Addy, E. and Musonda, I. (2025). The motivation for occupants’ adoption of hidden emergency exits in buildings, Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32, 13, 133-147. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-04-2023-0326

Egodage, N., Abdeen, F. N., & Sridarran, P. (2020). Fire emergency evacuation procedures for differently-abled community in high-rise buildings. Journal of Facilities Management, 18, 5, 505-519. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-07-2020-0043

Soltaninejad, M., Noorzai, E., & Faraji, A. (2023). Enhancing the level of confidence in the safe fire evacuation operation employing a combination of BIM and fuzzy TOPSIS method. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1108/SASBE-11-2022-0258

Liang, Y., Xie, Z., Chen, S., Xu, Y., Xin, Z., Yang, S., & Wang, Q. (2023). Spatial accessibility of urban emergency shelters based on Ga2SFCA and Its improved method: A case study of Kunming, China. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 149, 2, 05023013. https://doi.org/10.1061/JUPDDM.UPENG-4325

Abudu, H. D., Mewomo, C. M., Adjei, K. O., & Bondinuba, F. K. (2025). A systematic review of the mitigating factors for emergency response in facilities. In CIB Conferences, 1, 1, 187. https://doi.org/10.7771/3067-4883.1856

Ouyang, M. (2014). Review on modelling and simulation of interdependent critical infrastructure systems. Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 121, 43-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2013.06.040

Damaševičius, R., Bacanin, N., & Misra, S. (2023). From sensors to safety: Internet of Emergency Services (IoES) for emergency response and disaster management. Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, 12, 3, 41. https://doi.org/10.3390/jsan12030041

Sutton, J., Olson, M. K., & Waugh, N. A. (2024). The Warning Lexicon: A multiphased study to identify, design, and develop content for warning messages. Natural Hazards Review, 25, 1, 04023055. https://doi.org/10.1061/NHREFO.NHENG-1900

Dwarakanath, L., Kamsin, A., Rasheed, R. A., Anandhan, A., & Shuib, L. (2021). Automated machine learning approaches for emergency response and coordination via social media in the aftermath of a disaster: A review. IEEE Access, 9, 68917-68931. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3074819

Deen, S. (2015). Pakistan 2010 floods. Policy gaps in disaster preparedness and response. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 12, 341-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.03.007

Gilmore, J. N., & DuRant, M. (2021). Emergency infrastructure and locational extraction: Problematizing computer-assisted dispatch systems as a public good. Surveillance and Society, 19, 2, 187-198. https://doi.org/10.24908/ss.v19i2.14116

Wamsler, C., Wickenberg, B., Hanson, H., Olsson, J. A., Stålhammar, S., Björn, H., & Zelmerlow, F. (2020). Environmental and climate policy integration: Targeted strategies for overcoming barriers to nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119154

Abdul, L., & Yu, T. F. (2020). Resilient urbanization: a systematic review on urban discourse in Pakistan. Urban Science, 4, 4, 76. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci4040076

Ajibade, I. (2022). The resilience fix to climate disasters: Recursive and contested relations with equity and justice-based transformations in the Global South. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 112, 8, 2230-2247. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2022.2062290

Kedia, T., Ratcliff, J., O'Connor, M., Oluic, S., Rose, M., Freeman, J., & Rainwater-Lovett, K. (2022). Technologies enabling situational awareness during disaster response: a systematic review. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 16, 1, 341-359. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.196

Pelling, M. (2012). The vulnerability of cities: natural disasters and social resilience. 1st Edition, Routledge, London.

Rezvani, S. M., Falcão, M. J., Komljenovic, D., & De Almeida, N. M. (2023). A systematic literature review on urban resilience enabled with asset and disaster risk management approaches and GIS-based decision support tools. Applied Sciences, 13, 4, 2223. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13042223

Al-Wathinani, A. M., Barten, D. G., Borowska-Stefańska, M., Gołda, P., AlDulijan, N. A., Alhallaf, M. A., & Goniewicz, K. (2023). Driving sustainable disaster risk reduction: A rapid review of the policies and strategies in Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 15, 14, 10976. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410976

Merz, B., Kuhlicke, C., Kunz, M., Pittore, M., Babeyko, A., Bresch, D. N., & Wurpts, A. (2020). Impact forecasting to support emergency management of natural hazards. Reviews of Geophysics, 58, 4, e2020RG000704. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000704

Kalogiannidis, S., Toska, E., Chatzitheodoridis, F., & Kalfas, D. (2022). Using School Systems as a Hub for Risk and Disaster Management: A Case Study of Greece. Risks, 10, 5, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/risks10050089

Anguelovski, I., Chu, E., & Carmin, J. (2014). Variations in approaches to urban climate adaptation: Experiences and experimentation from the global South. Global Environmental Change, 27, 156-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.05.010

Myeong, S., Kim, Y., & Ahn, M. J. (2020). Smart city strategies-technology push or culture pull? A case study exploration of Gimpo and Namyangju, South Korea. Smart Cities, 4, 1, 41-53. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities4010003

Bello, O., Bustamante, A., & Pizarro, P. (2021). Planning for disaster risk reduction within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Binkley, J. M., & Kemp, K. M. (2022). Mobilization of resources and emergency response on the national scale. Surgical Clinics, 102, 1, 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.suc.2021.09.014

Travassos, L., Torres, P. H. C., Di Giulio, G., Jacobi, P. R., Dias De Freitas, E., Siqueira, I. C., & Ambrizzi, T. (2021). Why do extreme events still kill in the São Paulo Macro Metropolis Region? Chronicle of a death foretold in the global south. International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, 13, 1, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/19463138.2020.1762197

Perera, D., Agnihotri, J., Seidou, O., & Djalante, R. (2020). Identifying societal challenges in flood early warning systems. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51, 101794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2020.101794

Abudu, H. D., Mewomo, C. M., Adjei, K. O., & Bondinuba, F. K. (2025). Assessing emergency response systems and their impact on infrastructure resilience: A literature review. In Abimnola (ed), Proceedings of the International Conference on Construction Business & Project Management Conference 2025(CBPMC) (pp. 425-431). University of Cape Town, South Africa. https://cbpmconference.wixsite.com/website-6/copy-of-cbpm-editions-1.

Adjei, K. O., Aigbavboa, C. O., & Thwala, W. D. (2018). The challenges of cost control practice in the construction industry: A literature review. In International Conference on Applied Science and Technology Conference Proceedings, 4, 1, 14-24.

Bonney, S. O., Yankah, J. E., Adjei, K. O., & Tieru, C. K. (2024). Software and mobile apps as a strategy for productivity improvement in the construction industry. Journal of Building Construction and Planning Research, 12, 1, 1-35. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbcpr.2024.121001

Yankah, J. E., Adjei, K. O., & Tieru, C. K. (2024). Apps as partial replacement for robotics and automation systems in construction health and safety management. Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, 4, 2, 90-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/FEBE-07-2023-0033

Downloads

Published

2025-09-30

How to Cite

Abudu, H. D., Mewomo, C. M., Adjei, K. O., & Bondinuba, F. K. (2025). CHALLENGES IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE INFRASTRUCTURE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW. Journal of Civil Engineering, Science and Technology, 16(2), 269–279. Retrieved from https://publisher.unimas.my/ojs/index.php/JCEST/article/view/8972

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2025): Journal of Civil Engineering, Science and Technology

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 UNIMAS Publisher

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Upon acceptance of an article, the corresponding author on behalf of all authors will be asked to complete and upload the Copyright Transfer Form (refer to Copyright Issues for more information on this) alongside the electronic proof file.

 

Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal

1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and refer the publication in the Journal.

2) For open-access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.

3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds the copyright or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subjected to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.

4) The author(s) are responsible to ensure their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. The corresponding author has obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If the submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained permission from the copyright owners.

5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare that the researches which they have conducted comply with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving humans or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from the Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.

6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that they have no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor(s) or UNIMAS Publisher.