Date of Award
3-21-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Department
Department of Operational Sciences
First Advisor
Timothy W. Breitbach, PhD
Abstract
In 2017 Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico. The humanitarian aid community scrambled a response to support the 3.4 million people affected by the disaster. In response, thousands of shipping containers filled with supplies were sent to the island. Numerous reports surfaced regarding significant delays in receiving the shipments. This research reviews the historical account of cargo throughput into Puerto Rico following Maria. A computer simulation built in ARENA compares various what-if scenarios based on empirically collected data and interviews with FEMA, port authorities, and commercial cargo carriers to determine how the humanitarian supply chain could improve for future disaster planning. An additional goal of this research is to better inform humanitarian logisticians who must balance near-term disaster response demands with long term recovery concerns.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-ENS-MS-19-M-118
DTIC Accession Number
AD1078234
Recommended Citation
Green, Nicholas L., "Humanitarian Logistics: Shipping Designs for the Post Disaster Cargo Surge" (2019). Theses and Dissertations. 2301.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/2301