From preparedness to recovery: A tri-level programming model for disaster relief planning

Abstract

This paper proposes a tri-level programming model for disaster preparedness planning. The top level addresses facility location and inventory pre-positioning decisions; the second level represents damage caused by the disaster, while the third level determines response and recovery decisions. We use an interdiction framework instead of a stochastic or chance-constrained model. This allows the extent of damage to be treated as a parameter to facilitate scenario exploration for decision-support. We develop an iterative dual-ascent solution approach. Computational results show that our approach is efficient, and we can also draw some insights on disaster relief planning. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.