Dorian Shows Need for Proper Disaster Resource Management

By Allison G. S. Knox
Contributor, EDM Digest

Supply logistics after a major disaster is often complicated because the infrastructure that once supported the supply chain is suddenly impaired or destroyed.

Resource management and bringing supplies to a devastated area are a critical component of emergency management efforts. There are often logistical issues involved when supplies do not arrive promptly. Security problems may also ensue.

The Difficulty of Supply Logistics

Emergency management is always difficult after a major disaster. The unfortunate reality is that the Bahamas demonstrate how complicated response and recovery are after a major disaster event.

Writing in Government Technology, Lucien G. Canton explained how complicated logistics can be when a major disaster destroys the roads and other infrastructure that normally would be used to bring in supplies.

A functioning infrastructure is also critical for storing water, food and medical supplies. Because the Bahamas are islands, the logistics of bringing in supplies becomes more difficult.

Supplies, which can only be delivered by ship or small aircraft, are even more critical due to the storm’s total devastation of Grand Bahama and Abaco islands. USAID recently reported it had shipped enough humanitarian aid for 44,000 Bahamians via UPS.

Relief Efforts for the Bahamas

A recent report on NPR explained how difficult it’s been to get relief supplies to Grand Bahama and Abaco because of the lack of any working infrastructure. Images of the Bahamas show complete devastation, an uninhabitable place that has been reduced to a pile of rubble.

Supplies and Security Concerns

Supplies are linked to security issues, too. When supplies cannot be delivered to an area, survivors become desperate, resulting in looting and other types of criminal activity. There have been numerous reports of looting in the Bahamas, a security issue that highlights just how critical the situation there is.

Removing the Rubble

Removing the rubble is another critical component of supply management. Rubble creates barriers and makes it difficult for personnel to work.

Damaged buildings are also unstable, so they create unsafe conditions for emergency workers. Additionally, the rubble left behind by storms such as Dorian can be heavy and dangerous requiring anything from excavators to backhoes for the removal of building remains.

Bringing in this equipment can create numerous logistical issues. Where the Bahamas are concerned, emergency managers and personnel will need to work around numerous obstacles for weeks and months to come.

Hurricane Dorian, the Bahamas and Resource Management

Hurricane Dorian serves as a prime example of the criticality of proper resource management before and during the initial recovery phases of a disaster. As with most disasters, infrastructure, resources, manpower and personnel are critical to emergency management’s overall response and recovery efforts.