Optimum transportation of relief materials aftermath the disaster

Abstract

Purpose: Natural disasters disrupt not only the lives of individuals but also the functioning of society. Given the unpredictability of disasters and the uncertainty associated with them, preparation is the best way to mitigate and reduce the effects of the disaster. Design/methodology/approach: The study presents a mathematical model in the form of a multi-objective linear programming problem for the relief distribution from the airports which minimizes the total operational cost as well as travel time. Further, the solution approach and analytical results have also been discussed. Findings: The main aims at the preparedness stage are to identify and build infrastructures that might function as useful operation centres during a disaster. The study also provides decisions that include the type and number of vehicles for each affected location. Research limitations/implications: Airports can function as centres for relief collection and distribution. However, relief operations carried out through airports are often subject to problems such as stockpiling. Further, various modes are available for the transport of relief supplies- air, water, and land transport modes primarily. While aircraft and helicopters are faster, their costs of operation are too high. Instead, trucks are economical but very slow as compared to aircraft. Practical implications: The choice of model depends on many factors including the availability of vehicles, availability of routes, and criticality of situations. The choices made in turn affect the costs and the time of operations. Originality/value: The model converts a disaster scenario into a demand-supply problem with the aim being to decide allocations at specified intervals of time.