RELIEF LOGISTICS

PRESENTED BY : - SUNIL RAUT

IntroductionIn recent years, an increasing number of natural and man-made disasters have hit various regions in the world, killing thousands of people and causing millions of indirect victims.Recent examples, such as the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 or the earthquake/tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, show the vulnerability of developed countries, as well as emerging countries, to disasters. Most of the time, such disasters requireexternal (international) assistance. This assistance may come from the government (military, civil defence, etc.), but also from international relief organizations, which have the knowledge and resources to help the populations affected by these crises.

Following the Asian tsunami in 2004, humanitarian or relief logistics was publicly recognized as playing a central role in the disaster relief effort and as a consequence, a new field of research emerged.

Humanitarian logistics is a critical element of a successful relief operation as it focuses on the efficient management of flows of goods, information and services, to respond to the urgent needs of the affected populations under emergency conditions, such as those encountered during and after natural or man-made disasters. In particular, effective and efficient supply chain management enables humanitarian organizations to make the best use of resources, by matching the available supplies with the highest priority needs in the shortest possible time, under the constraint of limited funding.

In emergency , humanitarian logistics managers must also realize that time value is more important than transportation value. That is to say, it is more important to transport aid quickly than it is to waste time using cheaper, slower transportation. Logistics is critical to the assessment of need and rapid mobilization of personnel, equipment, and material in response.

What is Relief logistics? Relief Logistics is defined as the process of planning, implementing and controlling the efficient , cost-effective flow and storage of goods and materials, as well as related information, from the point of origin to the point of consumption for the purpose of alleviating the suffering of vulnerable people.

The function encompasses a range of activities, including preparedness, planning, procurement, transport, warehousing, tracking and tracing, and customs clearance.

The RELIEF chain consists of following elements-

1. Suppliers or Donors( NGOs, International aid, Donation from other States)

2. Emergency Public procurement Unit (P)3. Strategic Distribution unit (D)4. Beneficiaries (B)

SUPPLIERS

DONORS

P D B

PRODUCT FLOW

INFORMATION FLOW

Types of Disaster Calamities, characterized by natural causes and sudden-onset occurrences

(e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes); Destructive actions, characterized by man-made causes and sudden-onset

occurrences (e.g., terrorist attacks, coups d’état, industrial accidents); Plagues, characterized by natural causes and slow-onset occurrence (e.g.,

famines, droughts, poverty); Crises, characterized by man-made causes and slow-onsets occurrence

(e.g., political and refugee crises).

DISASTER MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Source: http://www.scl.gatech.edu/research/humanitarian/GTHHL-Intro_to_humanitarian_logistics.pdf

Three phases in the disaster management cycle:

The Scope, Importance and Challenge of Relief Logistics

Humanitarian Logistics is central to disaster relief for several reasons.

First, it is crucial to the effectiveness and speed of response for major humanitarian programs, such as health, food, shelter, water, and sanitation.

Second, with procurement and transportation included in the function, it can be one of the most expensive parts of a relief effort.

Third, since the logistics department handles tracking of goods through the supply chain, it is often the repository of data that can be analyzed to provide post-event learning.

2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2,30,000 – 3,10,000 victims

2008, Nargis Cyclone in Myanmar, 1,38,000 victims

2010, Earthquake in Haiti, 3,16,000 victims

2011, Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, 15,000 -20,000 victims

Why is this important?

The natural disaster happening cannot be avoided, but its consequences can be mitigated through a holistic resilient management of the relief supply chain operation.

Lack of Recognition of the Importance of Logistics

Lack of Professional Staff

Inadequate Use of Technology

Organizational culture and high employee turnover

Lack of Institutional Learning

Limited Collaboration

HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS : CORE CHALLENGES

CASE STUDIES

The 2004 earthquake and resulting tsunami in South Asia claimed approximately 230,000 lives and displaced 1.7 million people. Over 40 countries and 700 non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs) provided humanitarian assistance. Theresponse in the private sector was unprecedented: for example, US companies alone mobilized more than US $565 million (cash and in kind), and the role of logistics companies (e.g., UPS, FedEx, and DHL)—together with their existing aidagency partners—was also crucial in providing free or subsidized transportation and logistics. The world responded by donating more than $13 billion and initiating the largest relief effort in history.

On January 26, 2001 a 7.9 Richter earthquake struck Gujarat,where 41 million people were preparing to celebrate Republic Day in India. Thousands of people were killed, the local airport was destroyed, the infrastructure severely damaged, and very little information was available in the early stages of the disaster. Nonetheless, within the first 30 days of the earthquake, along with the assistance of 35 partner organizations, the International Federation of the Red Cross'sLogistics Emergency Unit arranged the delivery of 255,000 blankets, 34,000 tents, 120,000 plastic sheets, and large quantities of other items such as kitchen sets that were distributed to beneficiaries by the Indian Red Cross. More than 300 other global, national, regional and local NGOs and UN agencies similarly mobilized their staffs and resources.

Key players

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);World Health Organization (WHO);UN Joint Logistics Centre (UNJLC);Humanitarian Security Unit, European Commission;International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI);Emergency Response and Disaster Mitigation, World Vision

International;Fritz Institute, San Francisco, USA;Humanitarian Information Unit, US Department of State;INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France;Industrial Engineering, University of Washington, USA;Dipartimento di Informatica, University of Pisa, Italy; Engineers without Borders;Centre of Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance

(CDMHA), Florida, USA; andNational Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), South Africa.

CONCLUSION

Every year, there are approximately 150,000 deaths and 200 million people affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises. Natural disasters alone, which include events such as earthquakes, famines and floods, result in the temporary displacement of approximately five million people. The number of displaced people from humanitarian crises such as civil conflict and war is even larger, with an average of 13 million refugees and 20 million internally displaced people each year. As the relief arm of the global community, humanitarian organizations are the front line of assistance for people affected by natural and complex emergencies.

Humanitarian relief organizations (HROs) coordinate billions of dollars in relief annually to victims of natural disasters, civil conflict and war. Their chief task is the timely mobilization of financing and goods from international donors and administering relief to vulnerable beneficiaries at disaster sites across the globe.

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