Logistics Planning in Natural Disasters

Abstract

The geoclimatic conditions make India vulnerable to disasters frequently. A considerable number of people get affected by natural disasters in the last decade because they cannot be avoided but only prevented to some extent. Logistics being a crucial function of disaster management need to be planned properly in order to reduce the loss in all aspects, which is caused by natural disasters. The operations of logistics constitutes to a major part of the total cost of disaster management. The government of India should take measures to reduce the cost of logistics. In India, logistics planning is ineffective and inefficient due to the lack of early warning system, limited coordination among the parties involved in disaster management, insufficient funds, lack of professional staff, and inadequate use of technology. Creating an association with all the parties involved in disaster response to organize activities of logistics planning facilitates centralization of procurement and inventory management. Mobile donating and provision of coupons increase the amount of funds. Creation of a database to store the information about all the manufacturers and logistics companies yields better communication. Public-private partnership helps in meeting the requirement of trained personnel. Finally the use of RFID technology makes the distribution and transportation functions to be effective.