Flood relief logistics planning for coastal cities: a case study in Shanghai, China

Abstract. Coastal cities are becoming more vulnerable to flood risks due to climate change, rising sea levels, intense storm surges, population growth, and land subsidence. Developing emergency preparedness and response strategies can reduce the impact of coastal flooding and enhance a city's resilience. This article presents a flood relief logistics planning aimed at providing decision-makers with a feasible framework. The framework integrates geographic information system (GIS) network analysis and resource allocation optimization models. Considering the fairness of resource allocation, a biobjective allocation model that minimizes the total transportation cost and maximum unsatisfied rate is developed. This flood relief logistics planning approach is applied to Shanghai, China to presents feasible distribution strategies. And, the case study indicates that the current capacity of emergency flood shelters (EFSs) and the supplies stored in emergency reserve warehouses (ERWs) are adequate to meet the demand of the elderly population if affected by a 100-year coastal flood scenario. However, they would not be sufficient to cover the demand in a 1000-year coastal flood scenario and could only serve half of the affected elderly people. The results also suggest that the city-level ERW in Jiading District and the branch warehouse in Minhang District play a crucial role in distribution. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of increasing resource investments to tackle the inherent unfairness caused by resource shortages. This study provides a scientific reference for developing flood relief logistics plans in Shanghai, and it presents a transferable framework that is applicable to other coastal cities.