Abstract

Natural disasters are increasingly frequent, affecting numerous countries and regions. This study introduces a technological tool aimed at improving energy efficiency and aiding in tsunami evacuations and disaster drills. In addition to complementing existing early warning systems, the tool enhances evacuation processes in coastal areas and serves as a simulation resource for community training. The research shows that integrating specific technological elements into existing street lighting effectively creates an evacuation route indicator, supplementing physical signage and phone alerts. The solution utilizes a mesh network architecture with end devices connected via the Zigbee protocol and Digimesh topology. Key results include reduced channel interference, minimized data loss, and extended battery life through retransmissions. Signal strength was maintained between -77 dBm and -89 dBm, indicating very good to excellent performance. Sleep mode activation was achieved within 0.077 s, making the system suitable for disaster scenarios. These outcomes were validated in a real-world pilot study.