Planning the use of helicopters in the last mile distribution process in catastrophes

Abstract

The shortage of funding, the challenging assessment of aid needs, and the lack of transportation systems for the rescue and care of victims represent major constraints to disaster response operations. In order to improve logistical performance in these conditions, including remote and large areas, this paper proposes a formal mathematical model to assist air transport planning, using helicopters, for large-scale disasters, considering multiple deposit systems, multiples vehicles and multiple products, implemented in AIMMS to evaluate its performance. To achieve the objectives, a literature review is conducted to understand the ways in which helicopters are used in aid operations and to identify key steps in decision making and modeling processes. In the end, a hypothetical scenario is created with similar characteristics from the records of earthquake response operations that hit Haiti in 2010 for consolidation and validation of the procedure.