Impact of Disasters on Firms in Different Sectors: Implications for Supply Chains‪.‬

INTRODUCTION During the last decade the attention of supply chain researchers and practitioners alike has focused on risk and disruption management (Martha and Subbakrishna 2002; Mitroff and Alpaslan 2003; Craighead, Blackhurst, Rungtusanatham and Handfield 2007). In spite of this interest, there has been relatively little research on the system-wide or global impact of supply chain disruptions both upstream, downstream and laterally in the supply chain (Blackhurst, Craighead, Elkins and Handfield 2005). Natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and fires, can create such disruptions because they impair business functions and decrease the productive capacity of firms operating in the affected region (Miller 1991). Very few publications address the effects of catastrophic events on supply chains.