Identifying and analyzing the resilience of coastal areas against natural hazards (Case study: Bandar Mahshahr)

Throughout history, human societies have continued to face dangers and have always suffered harmful effects. Environmental hazards are occurring not only in terms of number but also with an increase in diversity and amount of damage, especially in susceptible areas. Close connection with the environment, deprivation, lack of awareness, and preparation increases the vulnerability of coastal areas. However, they are inevitable phenomena and the only way to deal with them is to manage them. One of the approaches to facing environmental risks and crises is resilience. Mahshahr Port is exposed to various types of hazards and is in a highly vulnerable condition, and it is necessary to measure its resilience. The purpose of this research is to analyze resilience against environmental hazards in the 5 regions of Bandar Mahshahr. The current research is practical and descriptive-exploratory in terms of methodology. The tool used is a combination of researcher-made questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed and completed in five areas of Bandar Mahshahr. Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression statistical tests have been used to analyze the relationship between factors affecting resilience. For descriptive items, the statistical methods of mode, median, mean, variance, skewness, and kurtosis have been used, and for weighting and determining the factors influencing resilience, multi-criteria decision-making methods (fuzzy hierarchical model) and ranking of resilience indicators have been used. The Waspas method has been used in the five areas of Mahshahr port. The results of the general state of resilience in the studied area, which is a function of its component indicators and variables, showed that the obtained average is lower than the average. The main reason for the poor state of resilience in the studied area can be attributed to the weakness of economic and physical indicators. Based on the weighting of the economic index, it was ranked first, which has a direct effect on resilience. The ranking of regions showed that Region 3 has a better situation than other regions.