The Logistics of Disaster Response

When disasters occur, relief teams are often faced with an excess of donated materials that are not needed and can even be detrimental to providing support. The influx of unnecessary materials can slow the progress of delivering goods to those in need. Even the right supplies can be problematic when they reach the wrong location or arrive at the wrong time—such as before there is a place to safely store them. The result is that, according to the National Science Foundation, up to 60 percent of goods donated after a disaster end up going to waste.

Explore the interactive story here.