Vulnerability Based Prioritization in Disaster Planning Efforts: Benefits and Trade-Offs

Abstract

Humanitarian logistics literature commonly uses Equity, Efficiency, and Effectiveness (3E) objectives. The equity objective strives to minimize differences among individual treatments by assuming that everyone is equally affected by a disaster. Efficiency measures aim to reduce the costs of aid programs, while effectiveness focuses on the quality of humanitarian aid, measured by factors such as response time or human suffering. The inherent assumption of 3E objectives is the homogeneity of the beneficiaries. However, it is essential to acknowledge that disasters disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Vulnerable groups, including the low-income or marginalized, encounter unique challenges during disasters. Any measure assuming homogeneous demand will overlook the intersectionalities experienced by vulnerable communities. This paper introduces an alternative measure prioritizing vulnerable populations in disaster planning, aiming for a more inclusive and compassionate disaster management strategy. To compare the performance of this approach against the traditional 3E measures and analyze the associated trade-offs, we used the emergency assembly point allocation problem as a test case. We conduct computational analyses in synthetic and real-life instances using Istanbul's neighborhood-level vulnerability and population. Our results demonstrate that vulnerability-based prioritization can achieve more inclusive results for vulnerable populations without significantly deteriorating 3E objectives and non-vulnerable population outcomes.