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The research areas of humanitarian supply chain (HSC) and disaster and humanitarian operations (DHO) have evolved through the use of managerial models. Recent studies, however, point to the need for the empirical validation of such managerial models in real-life scenarios. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the validation of recent managerial models based on empirical data of two disasters in Haiti: the earthquake in 2010 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

This research developed two case studies from the perspective of the Brazilian Navy (BN), a part of the Brazilian Armed Forces that led the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in both disasters. The case studies focused on empirically validating managerial models for stakeholder identification, stakeholder satisfaction, response processes, strategies for collaboration and the integration of these models.

The results revealed that compared to the response to the earthquake in 2010, the response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016 was superior. The collaborative strategies of the BN and other stakeholders used after the earthquake were more reactive, while the strategies after Hurricane Matthew aimed more at planning and anticipating adverse situations.

This research reinforces the investigated managerial models and indicates their suitability as planning tools for practitioners of HSC and DHO, which is essential for the further development of academic contributions related to integrating the models into more robust solutions.

This paper proposes a maturity model (MM) for assessing disaster operations and identifying strategies for organisations to evolve their maturity stages.

This study applies a systematic literature review to identify state-of-the-art work related to maturity models for disaster operations. In addition, the study develops a case study to validate the proposed maturity model in a generic scenario and two real-life scenarios.

The analysis of 158 papers in the literature resulted in identifying 8 maturity models for disaster operations. Based on their structure, the authors proposed a new model with five maturity stages suitable for any of the four phases of the disaster life cycle (i.e. mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery). In addition, the research identified and presents 24 strategies for improving disaster operations according to each maturity stage transition. Finally, the research presents a case study that evaluates the disaster response operations from a Civil Defense organisation considering a response scenario disaster in general, a flood scenario, and the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.

This study provides the following three main contributions useful for academics and practitioners in the disaster operations area: a new maturity model for assessing disaster operations, a strategy guide for improving disaster operations based on a maturity evolution and an empirical study exploring the approximation between academia and professionals involved in real-life disaster operations management.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the status of the current Brazilian regulations regarding the Brazilian Air Force (BAF) operations during disaster response compared with the real BAF operations in the landslides that affected the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2011. This analysis reveals the evolutions and challenges that warrant further discussion, even six years after the deadliest disaster in recent Brazilian history.

The research is structured using a case study method and a process approach. The data gathered from official BAF reports and professionals and BAF regulations are compared using a theoretical reference process model as a guide.

The spread of documentations and laws that prescribe the BAF operations during disaster response limit the replication of BAF standards in future disasters. Among the 96 processes described in the theoretical reference process model, 12 processes that are identified in the BAF reports and interviews that address the response to the Rio landslides of 2011 remain unaddressed in the BAF regulations. Considering the BAF expertise, three additional processes are suggested for future consideration in the reference process model that guided this research.

This paper does not discuss the collaborative perspective of BAF operations with other military forces and stakeholders in disaster response.

The findings are indications of improvement in BAF regulations.

In addition to providing an analysis of the military force operations in response to a massive disaster, this paper can also serve as a reference for a benchmark discussion of military operations in disaster response.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a Humanitarian Purchasing Matrix to guide purchasing strategies for relief items in humanitarian operations.

The research synthesizes the structures of a Purchasing Portfolio Model and the characteristics of purchasing in humanitarian operations, validating them with academics and practitioners to develop a Humanitarian Purchasing Matrix. Then, based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process to classify the relief items in the matrix, an illustrative example is used as an empirical test for the proposed Humanitarian Purchasing Matrix.

The academic literature on purchasing in general and purchasing in humanitarian operations share some similarities in terms of “Importance of Purchasing” and “Complexity of Supply Market” dimensions. Moreover, the analysis of such criteria supports the definition of purchasing strategies for different relief items in humanitarian operations.

The Humanitarian Purchasing Matrix can be considered a tool/guide for professionals of humanitarian organizations in the adoption of purchasing strategies for the different relief items purchased for humanitarian operations.

Considering a scenario of a constant increase in the variety of relief items, the high purchasing volume and the pressure to more efficient relief operations, the research discusses the intersectionality of business purchasing models and the purchasing characteristics of humanitarian operations. Moreover, the research deliveries a tool/guide to the adoption of purchasing strategies that are composed of criteria observed in the literature and suggested by both humanitarian logistic academics and practitioners.