Abstract
Disasters and emergencies happen a lot of times every year. At some point, it can be argued that their occurrence is inevitable as disasters and emergencies, or even crises, are bound to happen; and that it is not a question of if but when they are going to happen . Keeping that in mind, it would be important to know how the basic and different operational definitions of disasters and emergencies; how society has coped up with them and the different specific strategies and standards set in place to appropriately address them such as but not limited to mitigation steps and strategies, preparation, recovery, and other related steps.
The objective of this paper is to discuss humanitarian logistics from a disaster and emergency response perspective. The author starts out by writing broadly about disasters and emergencies, both minor and major, and then proceeds by discussing the different types of disasters and emergencies, and then on more concrete and specific actions when it comes to responding to different crisis situations (e.g. mitigation, preparation, response, recovery, logistics, and etc.). One of the most important parts of the paper was the point by point comparison between humanitarian and business logistics.
Some of the key elements to study in the paper include the evaluation of the Izmir Disaster Response plan, the roles that different stakeholders played in the disaster response execution, how the planning and execution processes worked, and whether the overall initiative was a success as well as the general discussion on disaster management in chapter two focusing on the organizational structures and function of different stakeholders in events where disaster management plans and of course their executions are necessary.
Logistics, in general, refers to the aspect of management that is focused on the smart, efficient, and smooth flow of goods between a set of point or points towards another; considering the varying degrees and extent of disaster and emergency response requirements , logistics becomes an important part of disaster and emergency response management. Challenges to humanitarian logistics and supply chain management and some recommended strategies and approaches on how to address them have also been discussed, one of the most important of which was the budget constraint associated with relief operations.
Conclusions
Responding to a disaster, emergency, or a humanitarian crisis is a challenging thing. It requires more than just the intent to help; in fact, engaging in any form of intervention that is aimed at providing aid to people affected by a disaster, emergency, or any humanitarian crisis with just the intent to help and nothing else may prove to be highly unproductive if not a total waste of time, manpower, and resources. Responding to events like these requires more than that; it requires knowledge and expertise on logistics and supply chain management. After all, how can a team or an entire organization move the resources that they think the people affected by such events would need from their warehouses or collection points in some cases to their target locations without any efficient means of doing so.
Budget, technology, collaboration, security, and knowledge-related issues may also have to be addressed as they have been identified to be some of most common and biggest hindrances to the successful execution of humanitarian operations. In the paper, the author discussed how these factors block the success of humanitarian and emergency and disaster response operations and some of the approaches that concerned organizations and volunteers might use and or take to address them.
Some of the key elements to study in the paper include the evaluation of the Izmir Disaster Response plan, the roles that different stakeholders played in the disaster response execution, how the planning and execution processes worked, and whether the overall initiative was a success as well as the general discussion on disaster management in chapter two focusing on the organizational structures and function of different stakeholders in events where disaster management plans and of course their executions are necessary.
Works Cited
Rawls, C. and M. Turnquist. "Pre-positioning of emergency supplies for disaster response." Transportation Research (2010).
Sheu, J. "Dynamic Relief Demand Management for Emergency Logistics Operations Under Large-Scale Disasters." Transportation Research: Logistics and Transportation Review (2010).
