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frequency and/or severity, which in turn will cause an increase in permanent migra-
tion and present more pressures in areas of relocation, leading to a greater need for
disaster management.
Tomasini and Wassenhove [2] define disaster management as the result of a long
and structured process of strategic process design, ultimately resulting in successful
execution. Disaster management can be divided into four phases: mitigation, prepa-
redness, response and recovery. These phases are known collectively as the disaster
operations life cycle. Mitigation is the application of measures that either prevent the
onset of a disaster or reduce the impact should a disaster occur. Preparedness relates
to the community's ability to respond when a disaster occurs; response refers to the
employment of resources and emergency procedures as guided by plans to preserve
life, property, and the governing structure of the community. Finally, recovery in-
volves actions taken to stabilize the community subsequent to the immediate impact
of a disaster [2]. The disaster cycle is illustrated in Figure 1
1
.
Fig. 1.
The disaster cycle
Tomasini and Wassenhove [2] emphasise that the first 72 hours after a disaster has
occurred are crucial in order to save the maximum amount of human lives. Saving
lives, however, relies on the correct quantity and types of aid supplies, which would
be a fairly effortless resolution, if all disaster effects could be predicted. Arminas [4]
suitably describes this predicament as follows:
“…purchasing and logistics for major disaster relief is like having a client from hell: You
never know beforehand what they want, when they want it, how much they want and even
where they want it sent."
As a consequence of this complexity, it is vital that relief supplies be pre-positioned to
improve emergency response times. This forms part of the preparedness phase in the
disaster operations life cycle. Demand for aid supplies will vary in type and quantity
depending on the specific disaster and the level of destruction it causes. These supplies
1
Adapted from Ciottone [3].
