From Hoarding to Donating: Researching Strategies for Disasters
Few could have predicted how quickly facemasks and hand sanitizer would go flying off the shelves when the Covid-19 pandemic gripped the world in 2020. The items had not been a regular part of society’s daily life, and supply chains were not prepared to respond to the need in such a short amount of time.
Certain consumers began buying the items in bulk, depriving others from having the opportunity to purchase them. It’s a common occurrence in the aftermath of large disasters or catastrophes, because people fear they won’t have enough to last throughout the duration.
But the hoarding tendency can exacerbate challenges already faced during disasters, making it harder for relief efforts to effectively respond to the needs of affected communities.
What are potential short-term solutions to mitigate the impact?
Oriana Calderon, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and CTR Affiliated Faculty Member, explored the issue in a recently published study that was co-authored by Jose Holguin-Veras, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Haiyan Liao, a doctoral candidate at Southwest Jiaotong University.
Calderon and her colleagues conducted a survey examining the purchase, hoarding, and donation behaviors related to facemasks in China during the peak of the Covid-19 crisis. They oversaw a thorough analysis of the data and used econometric models to understand the socioeconomic factors that foster, or deter, the donation of critical supplies to others.
The goal of the research was to find out what freight demand management initiatives could help in shortages of critical items.
“We need to think about the society as a whole. We cannot be selfish. Understanding that others have certain needs and that they don’t have access to things because of different situations is crucial,” Calderon said. “But knowing that we can do something in order to address this issue, I think that should be a good motivation for people.”
Read the story at cee.utk.edu