Models for humanitarian logistics

Emergency logistics is a process to organize and distribute resources during
emergency conditions in the area affected by a disastrous event. By means of
emergency logistics is possible to reduce disaster impacts that are natural or
anthropic, after an event has occurred. During emergency conditions planning is
needed to continue evacuation activities after the time when the final effects
occur and people cannot be rescued. For evacuation activities resources must be
identified to allocate in the area affected of the disastrous event according to
elementary work classes.
In this paper we focus on resources, in particular we consider the relief
vehicles and their distribution channels. We propose two distribution channel
models: the first one is transhipment, when the relief vehicles go to the
emergency area with one contact point; the second model is point to point, when
the relief vehicles go to the emergency area without any contact point.