Preparing for Disasters: Medical Supply Location and Distribution

We propose a stochastic optimization approach for the location and distribution problem of medical supplies to be used in disaster situations. We develop a robust decision support mechanism, which is serviceable under the wide variety of possible disaster types and magnitudes. In preparation for disasters, we develop a stochastic programming model to select the storage locations of medical supplies and required inventory levels for each type of medical supply. Our model captures the disaster specific information and possible effects of disasters through the use of disaster scenarios. Thus, we balance the preparedness and risk despite the uncertainties of disaster events. Moreover, we propose mixed integer programming models for loading and routing of vehicles to transport medical supplies for disaster response, which requires the evaluation of up-to-date disaster field information, as well as disaster preparedness. We present a case study of our models based on two earthquake scenarios in the Seattle area.