Title: Humanitarian logistics in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria: the experience of the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico

Authors: Jason D. Rivera; Alexis Willard

Addresses: SUNY Buffalo State, Department of Political Science (Public Administration Division), 1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222, USA ' Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Public Policy, University at Albany, SUNY, 135 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203, USA

Abstract: Using an action research approach, this paper investigates challenges associated with the distribution of emergency supplies (DES) in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Through the descriptive analysis of open- and closed-survey questions, it was observed that many challenges such as demand uncertainty, asymmetries in information, and warehouse location were all challenges in the response to the disaster. As a result, recommendations for enhancing humanitarian logistics in future disaster situations are presented at the end of this paper, in addition to recommendations for future research.

Keywords: Hurricane Maria; Puerto Rico; humanitarian logistics; disaster relief; American Red Cross; DES; distribution of emergency supplies; action research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2019.099379

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2019 Vol.15 No.2, pp.166 - 186

Received: 03 Aug 2018
Accepted: 03 Jan 2019
Published online: 30 Apr 2019 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article