Disaster Assessment and Mitigation Planning: A Humanitarian Logistics Based Approach

Abstract

This paper proposes a mathematical modeling-based approach for assessing disaster effects and selecting suitable mitigation alternatives to provide humanitarian relief (HR) supplies, shelter, rescue services, and long-term services after a disaster event. Mitigation steps, such as arrangement of shelter and providing HR items (food, water, medicine, etc.) are the immediate requirements after a disaster. Since governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing humanitarian aid need to know the requirements of relief supplies and resources for collecting relief supplies, organizing and initiating mitigation steps, a quick assessment of the requirements is the precondition for effective disaster management. Based on satellite images from weather forecasting channels, an area/dimension of the disaster-affected zones and the extent of the overall damage may often be obtained. The proposed approach then estimates the requirements for HR supplies, supporting resources, and rescue services using the census and other government data. It then determines reliable transportation routes, optimum collection and distribution centers, alternatives for resource support, rescue services, and long-term help needed for the disaster-affected zones. A numerical example illustrates the applicability of the model in disaster mitigation planning.

Unsupervised learning framework for region based damage assessment on xBD, a large satellite imagery

“…While for K=3, K-Means tries to form one region, even though they may be quite at distance, as in the case of Hurricane Matthew. 6 Demographic estimate Das et al (2013) suggested evaluating the impact of the disaster and identifying appropriate measures to reduce its effects in order to provide humanitarian aid such as supplies, shelter, rescue operations, and long-term services. Mitigation steps, including the provision of temporary housing and essential items like food, water, and medicine, are crucial in the immediate destruction after a disaster.…”

Urban Resources Selection and Allocation for Emergency Shelters: In a Multi-Hazard Environment

“…Strengthening disaster preparedness, risk analysis, emergency response, and management have become practical solutions in disaster relief works [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. With lessons learned from disasters, it is of great significance to make a systematic planning program for disaster prevention, which should be continuously optimized as an important public policy [ 9 , 10 ]. The crucial issue in this work constructs emergency shelters, which are concrete materializations and visualizations of disaster preparedness and risk calculations [ 11 ].…”