Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience - Research Briefing

In response to a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened an expert committee to conduct a study to document and understand the strengths and vulnerabilities of the supply chain networks affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in 2017. The study report recommends strategies, applicable to both the private and public sectors, for strengthening the resilience of these networks.

This unique National Academies activity was informed by two additional activities. First, The CNA Institute for Public Research developed case studies based on background research, data collection, and interviews with key actors in the 2017 hurricanes. Second, the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics proposed analytical models to identify nodes and links in the supply chain that amplify or dampen cascading effects in order to identify options that strengthen the private sector capacity to operate during crises.

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Agenda

12:00 Welcome and Introductions – Dr. Jarrod Goentzel and Steven Stichter

12:10 Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience: briefing of the National Academies report - Dr. Özlem Ergun and Dr. Craig E. Philip

Two National Academies committee members will present a summary of the consensus study report based on lessons learned from the 2017 hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. They will share recommendations to make supply chains for critical goods and services – such as food and water, gasoline, and pharmaceuticals and medical supplies – more resilient in the face of hurricanes and other crises. The discussion will consider how insights from the study apply to the current coronavirus crisis.

1:15 Adjournment

Speakers

Dr. Özlem Ergun, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University

Dr. Jarrod Goentzel, Director, MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab in the Center for Transportation and Logistics

Dr. Craig E. Philip, Research Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University

Tim Russell, Research Engineer, MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, and Project Manager, MIT CAVE Lab

Steven Stichter, Director, Resilient America Program, National Academies