Emergency Relief Operations Research Articles

Occupational Noise Levels During Emergency Relief Operations in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Column Editor Lawrence Mazzuckelli

Humanitarian aid logistics: supply chain management in high gear

This paper builds on the idea that private sector logistics can and should be applied to improve the performance of disaster logistics but that before embarking on this the private sector needs to understand the core capabilities of humanitarian logistics. With this in mind, the paper walks us through the complexities of managing supply chains in humanitarian settings. It pinpoints the cross learning potential for both the humanitarian and private sectors in emergency relief operations as well as possibilities of getting involved through corporate social responsibility. It also outlines strategies for better preparedness and the need for supply chains to be agile, adaptable and aligned—a core competency of many humanitarian organizations involved in disaster relief and an area which the private sector could draw on to improve their own competitive edge. Finally, the article states the case for closer collaboration between humanitarians, businesses and academics to achieve better and more effective supply chains to respond to the complexities of today's logistics be it the private sector or relieving the lives of those blighted by disaster.

Inventory modelling for complex emergencies in humanitarian relief operations

The increasing complexity and magnitude of global emergency relief operations create a critical need for effective and efficient humanitarian supply chain management processes. The irregular demand patterns and unusual constraints inherent in large-scale emergencies present unique challenges to physical supply systems. Indeed, the logistical needs of non-governmental organisations frequently surpass the capabilities of current emergency response approaches. There is only a limited body of research in humanitarian supply chain management, particularly in the area of inventory control. In this research, this limitation is addressed by developing a stochastic inventory control model that determines optimal order quantities and reorder points for a long-term emergency relief response.

Deaths Attributable to Obesity

workers (1997-2001). January 15, 2002. Available at: http://www.reliefweb.int /symposium/PayingUltimatePrice97-01.html. Accessed January 10, 2005. 32. Situation reports on South-East Asia earthquake and tsunami. February 25, 2005. World Health Organization Web site. Available at: http://w3.whosea.org /EN/Section23/Section1108/Section1835/Section1862_8824.htm. Accessed March 3, 2005. 33. Connolly MA, Gayer M, Ryan MJ, Salama P, Spiegel P, Heymann DL. Communicable diseases in complex emergencies: impact and challenges. Lancet. 2004; 364:1974-1983. 34. Measles and malnutrition increasing in Sudan’s Darfur region. April 28, 2004. Medecins Sans Frontieres Web site. Available at: http://www.msf.org/countries /page.cfm?articleid=6B1ED865-4A67-4934-85AD83AAF57BBCC3. Accessed March 3, 2005. 35. Becker E. US nearly triples tsunami aid pledge, to $950 million. February 11, 2005. Available at: http://www-tech.mit.edu/V125/N4/long2_4.4w.html. Accessibility verified March 16, 2005. 36. Lewis D. Nine U.N. peacekeepers killed in Congo. February 25, 2005. Reuters Web site. Available at: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type= worldNewss 1999. 39. Gurr T, Harff B. Early warning systems: from surveillance to risk assessment to action. In: Cahill K, ed. Emergency Relief Operations. New York, NY: Fordham University Press; 2003.

The eye of the storm

Bala Karunakaran went to Kilinochchi Hospital in northern Sri Lanka to help set up a maternity operating clinic and research how the region had been affected by civil war but found himself in the midst of a huge emergency relief operation. He shares his experiences of the tsunami

V. Repatriation and Development Assistance

The authors argue that refugees should be seen as agents of a process of development to begin during temporary protection and extend well into the process of return and reintegration. The process of development advocated is intended to engage local resources and energies in the refugee, host and stayee communities, in a "bottom-up" fashion. It involves a unified international role in allocating resources, enlivening and promoting development at the local level, and ensuring accountability. The mechanisms proposed require "judicious, not lavish" external resources, and establish a continuum between emergency relief operations and long-term development assistance. This is a substantially abbreviated version of the authors' original work. Please refer to the notice at the end of this section if you are interested in obtaining a full copy of the paper, which is expected to be published in mid-1996.

Prepacked kits for diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in former Yugoslavia

After the outbreak of armed conflicts in the republics of former Yugoslavia in 1991, basic health services deteriorated and shortages of essential medical supplies occurred. The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken part in emergency relief operations in the area since July 1992. There was a growing concern that poor living conditions and shortages of supplies could rapidly increase the tuberculosis problem. To provide essential supplies, WHO included support of tuberculosis control in the emergency relief operations for former Yugoslavia. WHO designed a prepacked kit with anti-tuberculosis drugs and material for sputum smear examination for use in combination with policy recommendations and a treatment protocol. The initial distribution of the kits was completed by the end of April 1994. Medium term support from May 1994 onwards has included continued distribution of kits, together with assistance in adjusting tuberculosis control programmes according to the recommended WHO policy package. Support of tuberculosis control with essential supplies and strictly focusing on priority measures is proposed as the most adequate strategy, when dealing with a developed country dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Physicians for Human Rights and the Kurdish Refugee Crisis

To the Editor. —The article by Drs Geiger and Cook-Deegan 1 cites a Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) report on Kurdish refugee relief after the Gulf War. This report is said to have contributed to a governmental decision to mount a more effective relief effort. This statement typifies the behavior of civilian disaster intervenors who self-assert their impact as humanitarian change agents in a military theatre. Sandler et al 2 reported on the PHR mission as follows: After returning to the United States on April 15, we briefed individuals in those government agencies and the press. On April 16, US policy shifted away from merely delivering provisions by aerial drops to a more comprehensive public health emergency relief operation. Delightful is the notion that our errant military was guided in its relief strategy by PHR. The self-asserted claims of impact by civilians are not limited to military relief strategy. Claims

Infant Feeding in Emergencies

Recent experience of emergency relief operations in middle-income countries has shown that infant feeding issues can greatly complicate attempts to protect infant health. The two main problems are: how to protect and support breastfeeding in communities where it is no longer the norm and how to assist artificially fed infants without exposing them to the dramatically increased risks associated with artificial feeding under disaster conditions. This article explores the underlying issues and makes a number of recommendations for policy and programmes.

Book Review: Guidelines for the Use of Vitamin A in Emergency Relief Operations

Book Review: Guidelines for the Use of Vitamin A in Emergency Relief Operations

Aid for food : Acquisition of commodities in developing countries for food aid in the 1980s

The acquisition of commodities in developing countries for food aid operations through triangular transactions, local purchases and exchange or swap arrangements has increased significantly during the 1980s, particularly for use in sub-Saharan Africa. As largescale operations are a recent phenomenon conclusions on their impact and effectiveness must be regarded as provisional. Such operations have been largely cost-effective in terms of commodity and related costs as compared to ‘normal’ food aid actions. More appropriate commodities have been supplied. Some difficulties have been encountered regarding the timeliness of delivery and the assuredness of supply of commodities. The predominant use of commodities, local exchanges excepted, for emergency relief operations has limited the scope of longer-term development benefits in ‘source’ economies.

The Role of Socio‐Economic Data in Food Needs Assessment and Monitoring

This paper reviews six case studies examined as part of a project to review targetting methodologies employed by non-government organisations in Africa during the 1984-6 food crisis. Most agencies have not yet fully evaluated the role of data in informing policy decisions during their respective emergency programmes. The case studies presented reflect a wide variety of approaches to targetting emergency food aid that are based largely on the use of 'socio-economic' data. The recent emergency relief operations in Africa seem to indicate a change in relief agencies' approaches to the assessment and monitoring of needs of the affected populations. Earlier dependance on nutritional data has given way to an increasing reliance on the use of socio-economic indicators. There was a wide variation in the case studies of the type of indicators collected and utilised in needs assessment and monitoring. There were those who relied almost exclusively on nutritional data to target resources during the 1984-86 African crisis, and others whose experiences during that period lead them to attach more weight to socio-economic data. Other agencies appear to have recognised the problems of relying solely on nutritional data to target food aid during their 1984-86 emergency programmes, and thus more or less abandoned classical anthropometric surveys in their needs assessment and monitoring methodologies during this period. Thus nutritional data has a less significant role in the decision making process than previously had been the case.