Optimizing Resource Allocation to Mitigate the Risk of Disruptive Events in Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Akbari, Parastoo, MacKenzie, Cameron A.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Akbari, Parastoo
MacKenzie, Cameron A.
author_facet Akbari, Parastoo
MacKenzie, Cameron A.
contents Homeland security in the United States faces a daunting task due to the multiple threats and hazards that can occur. Natural disasters, human-caused incidents such as terrorist attacks, and technological failures can result in significant damage, fatalities, injuries, and economic losses. The increasing frequency and severity of disruptive events in the United States highlight the urgent need for effectively allocating resources in homeland security and emergency preparedness. This article presents an optimization-based decision support model to help homeland security policymakers identify and select projects that best mitigate the risk of threats and hazards while satisfying a budget constraint. The model incorporates multiple hazards, probabilistic risk assessments, and multidimensional consequences and integrates historical data and publicly available sources to evaluate and select the most effective risk mitigation projects and optimize resource allocation across various disaster scenarios. We apply this model to the state of Iowa, considering 16 hazards, six types of consequences, and 52 mitigation projects. Our results demonstrate how different budget levels influence project selection, emphasizing cost-effective solutions that maximize risk reduction. Sensitivity analysis examines the robustness of project selection under varying effectiveness assumptions and consequence estimations. The findings offer critical insights for policymakers in homeland security and emergency management and provide a basis for more efficient resource allocation and improved disaster resilience.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_02652
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Optimizing Resource Allocation to Mitigate the Risk of Disruptive Events in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Akbari, Parastoo
MacKenzie, Cameron A.
Computers and Society
Optimization and Control
Homeland security in the United States faces a daunting task due to the multiple threats and hazards that can occur. Natural disasters, human-caused incidents such as terrorist attacks, and technological failures can result in significant damage, fatalities, injuries, and economic losses. The increasing frequency and severity of disruptive events in the United States highlight the urgent need for effectively allocating resources in homeland security and emergency preparedness. This article presents an optimization-based decision support model to help homeland security policymakers identify and select projects that best mitigate the risk of threats and hazards while satisfying a budget constraint. The model incorporates multiple hazards, probabilistic risk assessments, and multidimensional consequences and integrates historical data and publicly available sources to evaluate and select the most effective risk mitigation projects and optimize resource allocation across various disaster scenarios. We apply this model to the state of Iowa, considering 16 hazards, six types of consequences, and 52 mitigation projects. Our results demonstrate how different budget levels influence project selection, emphasizing cost-effective solutions that maximize risk reduction. Sensitivity analysis examines the robustness of project selection under varying effectiveness assumptions and consequence estimations. The findings offer critical insights for policymakers in homeland security and emergency management and provide a basis for more efficient resource allocation and improved disaster resilience.
title Optimizing Resource Allocation to Mitigate the Risk of Disruptive Events in Homeland Security and Emergency Management
topic Computers and Society
Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.02652