Research Project:

Optimization of Intermodal Logistics Operations in Disaster Planning

Final Report

PDF version 399 kb

Principal Investigator

Mehmet Bayram Yildirim
Wichita State University
(316) 978-3426
bayram.yildirim@wichita.edu

Project Objectives

Determine the state of the art in hurricane relief logistics.
Identify how intermodalism can improve distribution of disaster relief in terms of savings in time, cost, and maximization of relief amount distributed.
Model the hurricane relief logistics. In this step, either optimization or simulation can be used.

Project Abstract

After hurricane Katrina, millions of lives were impacted in the Gulf Coast region because of lack of transportation, shelter, food, water, drugs, etc. The task of providing immediate disaster relief and recovery assistance needed careful planning and cooperation of the entire country. The 2005 hurricane season proved that even USA is not ready for relief operations. Given the incredible demands that the hurricane-affected areas face, America needs to carefully plan disaster relief logistics in order to have the right amount of material at the right place at the right time. In this project, we would like to identify how intermodal transportation can help disaster planners to efficiently deliver disaster relief to the affected areas in minimal amount of time.

Task Descriptions

Do a literature review on current state of disaster relief operations.
Determine how intermodal transportation has been utilized in 2005 for hurricane relief efforts.
Determine current inventory of relief-related materials and current locations of depots, distribution centers, etc., to store relief related inventories.
Address security, warehousing, management logistics, etc., issues.
Formulate a mathematical model to efficiently distribute the hurricane relief efforts in least amount of time with least amount of cost.
Identify possible objectives—minimize empty travel time, maximize throughput, minimize total cost, etc.
Solve the resulting mathematical program. Validate the results.

Potential Benefits of the Project

Graduate Student Research.

Budget

$10,000 MTC/ $10,823 Cost Share (12-month project)

TRB Keywords

Disaster relief, Recovery assistance, Planning, Disaster relief logistics