Robust Investments in Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chains for Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Communities

Abstract

Effective disaster preparedness and response are supported by heterogeneous investments in logistics for emergency management. Meanwhile, there may be scarce resources or misconception of humanitarian needs for emergency scenarios that are unprecedented. Resource allocations to humanitarian needs must address deep uncertainties and multiple performance criteria related to population behaviors, environmental change, innovative technologies, wear and tear, regulations, economic markets, extreme events, and others. The methods demonstrated in this paper support prioritizing among humanitarian logistics investments with an integration of scenario analysis and multicriteria decision analysis. The results will aid emergency management agencies in agility and resilience of emergency supply chains and logistics systems, particularly for needs of underrepresented populations. The methods are demonstrated for preparedness initiatives of first-responder agencies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where