Building disaster preparedness and response capacity in humanitarian supply chains using the Social Vulnerability Index

We present a novel humanitarian supply chain approach to address disaster preparedness and build response capacity in chains when people’s vulnerability matters. Our primary motivation comes from the fact that disasters Brazil are often associated with unequal distribution of opportunities social inequalities end up pushing more vulnerable people risky areas or informal settlements. Moreover, investment management has dropped over past few years Brazil. In this way, we wonder: how use somewhat limited financial budget as effectively possible towards meeting those need most while addressing activities? To answer question, develop an optimization model location, planning, prepositioning, local procurement, relief aid flows’ decisions. Differently existing research, adopt so-called Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) objective function enhanced lack resources makes impassable fulfil all victims’ needs at once. Through rich real case-study based on Brazilian Humanitarian Supply Chain, come critical insights can help improve practices country. particular, show benefit using SoVI is significant increases, which reveals importance considering index design social-effective chains.