An analysis of the Cyclone Larry emergency relief chain: Some key success factors

The emergency relief chain and overall relief effort of Cyclone Larry in Australia is generally agreed to be one of the more effective in the history of emergency cyclone response in northern Australia. This paper identifies and analyses some key success factors in the emergency relief chain and the overall emergency relief effort of this cyclone disaster. The findings in this paper are based on document analysis and semi-structured discussions with disaster managers relating to the emergency relief chain and cyclone relief management processes undertaken by disaster management agencies. The paper contributes to a growing area of knowledge about emergency relief chains and the management of cyclone response in the context of a developed, Western Asia-Pacific country by improving managerial understanding of the critical ingredients in designing and executing an effective emergency relief chain and overall cyclone response operation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.