Highlights Results indicate the importance of carefully selecting the right objective. A large number of trucks are needed to achieve higher average equity levels and output levels. Adding new reserve locations can improve minimum equity levels. The best prepositioning locations are in areas with either low risk or near population centers. The choice of prepositioning location is not very sensitive to variation in disaster severity.

    Abstract In this study, we propose an optimization approach for the storage and distribution of fuel after a disaster. This problem is of particular concern in island settings. Our approach models the uncertainty of the problem through a set of disaster scenarios. The scenarios capture which fuel storage locations are unavailable and which regions face higher demands for fuel due to the impact of a disaster. We develop mixed-integer programs to determine how to allocate fuel to the different regions, the value of prepositioning additional fuel in the current and new locations, and the best fuel volumes to store in different geographical locations. Our models consider both maximizing equity and output. For our case study, we examine how these different strategies could benefit Puerto Rico, given ten recent disasters that have hit this island. We are able to demonstrate the importance of prepositioning fuel in new locations.


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    Title :

    Fuel distribution planning for disasters: Models and case study for Puerto Rico




    Publication date :

    2021-06-15




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English