Using Game Theory for Effective Hurricane Relief
When Hurricane Katrina hit the United States, it was marked as the costliest hurricane in the country’s history, estimating about $100 billion to $125 billion due to the massive scope of repairs and relief. However, using Hurricane Katrina as a case study, game theorists and analysts have observed that a lot of money was wasted on disorganized disasters relief organizations. Some locations experienced a surplus in relief supplies that resulted in overfilled ports, unused relief supplies, and the delivery of nonpriority items. Others received little to no aid. Ultimately, with NGOs acting independently of each other, the operations ended up being expensive and inefficient.
Now, the United States is experiencing two massive hurricanes, Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, and it is daunting to confront the destruction. Many NGOs are eager to help provide relief, but they must do so successfully. If they all go to the most convenient locations, such as the ones with most media coverage, they would ultimately cause more issues. So, instead, there needs to be a system so that the NGOs can organize their efforts and strategically provide aid.
From the NGOs’ perspective, they must receive adequate funding and provide aid to as many people as possible. The disaster victims are concerned about speedily getting the minimum amount of aid and not receiving a surplus of aid. Through a Generalized Nash Equilibrium Model, these concerns can be addressed in a way that benefits everyone, as well as promotes healthy competition between the NGOs. This model informs the NGOs of how and where to send their resources and how to get funding. As we learned in class, through this model, and the beauty of Nash Equilibrium, all parties benefit from the best strategy. This novel approach incorporates basic game theory with a relevant, pressing current event. By using game theory and Nash Equilibrium, natural disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma can hopefully be expedited and well organized.
https://phys.org/news/2017-08-response-natural-disasters-harvey-game.html