Title: Strategic planning for disaster relief logistics: lessons from supply chain management

Authors: Nezih Altay, Sameer Prasad, Jayavel Sounderpandian

Addresses: Department of Management, College of Commerce, DePaul University, 1 E. Jackson Blvd, Ste 7000, Chicago, IL 60604, USA. ' University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, 5053 Carlson Hall, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA. ' University of Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood Road, Kenosha, WI 53144, USA

Abstract: Management of disaster relief logistics requires different techniques at different levels. We identify four stages: 1 strategic planning which concerns high level decisions such as supplier selection and confirmation of communication protocols; 2 preparedness which concerns decisions regarding the amount and location of relief supplies to be stored; 3 pre-event response which concerns decisions during those occasions when an approaching disaster, such as a hurricane, has been detected; 4 post-event response which concerns what needs to be done immediately after a disaster has occurred. In this article, we concentrate on the strategic planning stage and build an integrated logistics model based on elements of supply chain management theory. This model provides specific recommendations to practitioners and identifies important areas to be researched. We also point out the applicable techniques at each of the other stages and cite relevant literature.

Keywords: strategic planning; disaster relief; logistics; supply chain management; SCM; emergency management; services.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSCI.2009.024937

International Journal of Services Sciences, 2009 Vol.2 No.2, pp.142 - 161

Published online: 04 May 2009 *

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