Model of multi-period emergency material allocation for large-scale sudden natural disasters in humanitarian logistics: Efficiency, effectiveness and equity

Abstract

Large-scale sudden natural disasters will lead to a large number of casualties and economic losses. The allocation of emergency materials is of vital significance for saving lives and property losses and alleviating human suffering after disasters. Different from the traditional allocation model with single or double optimization objectives in one period, we focus on the objectives of three dimensions in humanitarian logistics: efficiency, effectiveness and equity. Finally, an emergency material allocation model with multi-rescue sites, multi-affected sites and multi-periods is proposed. The model allows decision makers to make trade-offs among efficiency, effectiveness and equity. Numerical experiments and real cases show that the model can adapt to large-scale emergency material distribution. The solution efficiency is high, and the optimal solution can be obtained in a few minutes. This satisfies the timeliness of emergency rescue distribution and provides decision makers with a quick distribution plan.