Disaster Preparedness and Supply Management
Watch this video about disaster logistics that focuses on private humanitarian logistics. Link:
Given the reading and the video, describe the role of reverse logistics management in disaster
logistics. What strategies are important for the transportation and maintenance of supplies? How are
these strategies similar to or different than those used in non-disaster situations?
Logistics preparedness is an essential component of any disaster mitigation effort.
Therefore, planning is both practical and necessary as it is generally possible to foresee
different types of disasters that may affect a given locality as well as the needs the occurrence
will engender. Also logistics preparedness should be based on the vulnerability and
assessment of resources. Moreover, the reverse logistics management ensures efficient,
flexible and transparent logistics to provide resources that support disaster survivors and local
communities responding to and recovering from the disaster. Besides, it ensures domestic
community preparedness and delivery of right resources to the precise places in the expected
time in support of the local, tribal, state and federal governments as well as the territories.
Besides, private organizations should play a key role in reverse logistics management, by
working on the ground with the local people to prepare for disasters. Moreover, as well as
collaborating with other stakeholders to evacuate those affected (Jahre, Pazirandeh &
Wassenhove, 2016).
Transportation and maintenance must adopt logistics strategies that help to keep
services always available all the times no matter what changes might happen in other areas of
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the business organization and the surrounding environment. The organization should work
with the local people to prepare for disaster and ways of evacuation, adopt a demand that is
driven by planning and operating models of the business basing on real-time demand. Also
building an agile and adaptive logistic chain with speedy planning and incorporated
execution, optimizing designs of product and supply management, manufacturing,
sustainability, aligning logistic chain with goals of the business and having reliable and
predictable supply management (Jahre, Pazirandeh & Wassenhove, 2016).
The above strategies are similar to non-disaster situations as they ensure prior planning,
reliability, and sustainability of the logistics. However, they are different in the aspect of
preparedness as the managers must work with local community to predict disaster
occurrences and ensure proper mitigation strategies are in place to keep supply level highest
all the times.
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References
Jahre, M., Pazirandeh, A., & Van Wassenhove, L. (2016). Defining logistics preparedness: a
framework and research agenda. Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain
Management, 6(3), 372-398.
