SAVING LIVES
THROUGH LOGISTICS
HEROES OF THESUPPLY CHAIN
For the past 15 years, the American Logistics Aid Network has been on the front lines of nearly every major catastrophe the world has endured.
Better known as ALAN, this consortium of transportation companies, third-party service providers, andwarehouse operators helps coordinate the logisticscommunity’s response in times of crisis.
Covid- 19 has presented a slightly different agendafrom the earthquakes, tornados,and famines that the membersof ALAN typically address. Butas Executive Director KathyFulton explains, it’s just anothermoment for the heroes of thesupply chain to shine.
Q: Can you describe the
work of ALAN?
A: ALAN works with businesses, nonprofits, and governmentto harness logistics knowledge,expertise, and resources to servecommunities that have beenaffected by crisis. We do that ina variety of ways. We work withnonprofit organizations to helpthem find pro bono transportation and material handling equipment. We work with businesses that wantto help but may not otherwise have an outlet to do so.
We also provide businesses with information about
what’s happening in the affected area. And we work
with government entities to help them better under-
stand how business is operating and what’s happen-
ing with freight flows and the transportation sector.
Government entities then have a better idea of whattheir response should be. That is what we do. We’resaving lives through logistics.
Q: ALAN was created in response to infra-
structure failures in a time
of critical need. Can you
describe what took place?
A: Sure. Hurricane Katrinabrought some unique logisticalchallenges when it slammed intothe Gulf Coast in 2005. Althoughrelief supplies came pouring infrom across the country, therewere problems getting them intothe survivors’ hands. People werehungry and couldn’t get whatthey needed because either businesses or government couldn’tget the necessary logistics inplace.
So, at the Council ofSupply Chain ManagementProfessionals’ (CSCMP) annualconference that year, a group got together and said,“Look, we do this year-round. We move productsliterally around the world every single day. It seemslike we ought to be able to use our knowledge andexpertise to help solve these challenges.”
In an exclusive interview with DC VELOCITY, Kathy Fulton of
the American Logistics Aid Network talks about the supply
chain community’s role in disaster response and why the
Covid- 19 relief effort has been different from all the rest.
