Humanitarian logistics in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria: the experience of the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Using an action research approach, this paper investigates challenges associated with the distribution of emergency supplies (DES) in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Through the descriptive analysis of open- and closed-survey questions, it was observed that many challenges such as demand uncertainty, asymmetries in information, and warehouse location were all challenges in the response to the disaster. As a result, recommendations for enhancing humanitarian logistics in future disaster situations are presented at the end of this paper, in addition to recommendations for future research.