ABSTRACT
José Holguín-Veras, Tricia Wachtendorf, Miguel Jaller, and Theresa Jefferson
INTRODUCTION
As recent events such as Hurricane Katrina (2005), the Haitian (2010) earthquake, and the Japanese (2011) earthquake/tsunami have shown, catastrophic disasters can produce unfathomable death and devastation. Following such events, we often see generous acts of compassion and charity. Unfortunately, the tremendous outpouring of support may prove chaotic, disordered, and present its own logistical challenges. Providing the huge quantities of resources (be they from formal or informal sources) required for the relief and recovery activities can initially become complicated by the inability to have a “clear picture” of the event, specific resource and supply requirements, and areas in need. When physical destruction accompanies the event-as it is
CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 131 Post-Disaster Humanitarian Logistics ................................................................... 134 Materiel Convergence ............................................................................................ 137 Characteristics of Catastrophes and Their Effects on Emergency Supply Chains..... 138 Suggestions for Improvement ................................................................................ 143
Disaster Response Planning .............................................................................. 144 Distribution of Critical Supplies ....................................................................... 144 Knowledge of Demand...................................................................................... 145 Contending with Materiel Convergence............................................................ 146
Supporting Systems ............................................................................................... 146 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 146 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 147 References .............................................................................................................. 147
so often, but not necessarily does-this task becomes even more difficult due to the severe loss of infrastructure and lifelines. Moreover, when promised resources fail to arrive or are delayed in their arrival and distribution, affected populations may be unable to obtain what they require for survival and rebuilding.1
