Impacts of Disrupted Road Networks in Siting Relief Facility Locations: Case Study for Leon County, Florida

Abstract

After any catastrophic storm, the population of the affected area will need relief services. Government and private agencies commonly set up distribution stations where people can obtain basic goods after such crises. It is important to place these facilities in locations that are easily accessible and able to serve people efficiently. After a major storm, the road network is rarely fully intact. Roadways could be flooded or impassable, making previous relief facility locations no longer optimally placed. This study examines how a disrupted road network might change the best locations of relief centers using real-world spatial data in a case study of the Tallahassee, Florida, area. A series of facility location models is solved under various network disruption scenarios involving road linkages in the 100-year floodplain and along canopy roads. These results are compared against those obtained from normal road conditions and suggests what contingencies could be considered by planners when designing relief distribution networks.