Logistics infrastructure, the backbone of supply chains, is a mandatory element of community resilience. As noted in the US Department of Homeland Security’s Supply Chain Resilience Guide, “Survivors depend on community lifelines, which depend on resilient supply chains, to save and sustain life, ensure public safety, and speed economic recovery.”[1] As described by FEMA, “Lifelines are the most fundamental services in the community that, when stabilized, enable all other aspects of society.”[2]
The response and recovery elements that depend on warehouses include:
- Food
- Shelter
- Medical supply chain
- Water
- Safety and hygiene products
- Tools and building supplies
Warehouses in or near an impacted area increase the bandwidth of community lifelines – a critical resilience component. Warehouses in nearby regions play important roles, as well – quickly delivering from inventory and providing collection and staging areas serving response and recovery
[1] https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1555328671083-d9422177bd55d9c6fafc327a6b239290/SupplyChainResilienceGuide-April2019.pdf
[2] https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1576779742934-34259a62fe55f9b2042e423937241c8a/LifelinesFactSheetandPosterv2.pdf