Author(s): Minjae Kim; Inhwan Park
Linked Author(s): Inhwan Park
Keywords: Subway platform Flood flow Pedestrian safety Evacuation route Pedestrian instability
Abstract: Urban and underground spaces are vulnerable to flooding from the heavy rainfall by climate change. In August 2022, localized torrential downpours caused significant water inflows, leading to severe flooding near Gangnam and Isu subway stations in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Safe evacuation is essential to prevent casualties during flooding, and detailed evacuation route analysis is required. In this study, a human body model was designed with geometric similarity to demonstrate toppling accidents in subway station inundation experiments. Using the experimental results, critical velocity-depth relationships were derived, which are applicable to real-scale flood conditions. This relationship was applied to assess pedestrian safety using flood simulation results from the August 2022 event at the Isu subway station. The results indicate that the primary evacuation route rapidly exceeded the critical velocity-depth threshold, highlighting the need for quick decision-making when establishing evacuation routes during underground flooding. This research is expected to support the design of effective evacuation routes and the minimization of casualties during future subway station flooding incidents.
Year: 2025