Network repair crew scheduling for short-term disasters

Casualties and damages caused by disasters occur every year. To reduce further damages in the post disaster period, many types of research have been conducted. The repair crew problem is one of these efforts, and it is used for deciding ways to manage repairs to destroyed roads that connect members of supply chain networks. Especially in rural areas where road networks are sparse and supply chains are limited, road-network repair is particularly important because road destruction can contribute to high rates of rural isolation. In addition, the unpredictable nature of disasters creates concerns for those effecting post-disaster management. Especially in the short-term after a disaster, damage characteristics can dramatically change. Therefore, we considered a repair crew problem in which aspects of damage vary at certain times. A mathematical formulation on the basis of mixed integer programming is introduced to minimize the weighted sum of total damages caused in isolated areas and completion time of a repair crew. To overcome the complexity issue, an ant colony system algorithm was developed. It can be used to solve a multiple repair crew problem. Our study gives new insights into ways to manage problems in the post-disaster period.