Disaster logistics phase and volunteer participation in the context of disaster management

DISASTER LOGISTICS PHASE AND VOLUNTEER PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT BODUR, Vural B.A., Department of Disaster and Humanitarian Aid Management Advisor: Prof. Dr. Aslı AKAY July 2025, 114 Pages This master's thesis examines disaster logistics processes and the effectiveness of volunteer participation in the context of disaster management. Disasters are unexpected events that exceed the affected community's ability to cope using its own resources. Logistics constitutes the most important and costly part of humanitarian aid activities. The main objective of the study is to provide policymakers and practitioners with guiding recommendations for future disasters by thoroughly analyzing the subjective experiences of volunteers who participated in the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes in the logistics processes and the difficulties they encountered. The research was designed using a qualitative research design. In the application section of the study, interviews were conducted with a total of 48 volunteer participants selected through purposive sampling, consisting of managers, members, and coordinators of various non-governmental organizations and associations that participated in the fieldwork for the February 6, 2023 Earthquakes. Data were collected in writing using an interview form consisting of semi-structured open-ended questions prepared by the researcher and analyzed thematically using thematic content analysis. Participant statements were coded and interpreted to support the five hypotheses forming the basis of the research (roles of volunteers, obstacles encountered, preparation-contribution relationship, institutional coordination, and motivation). The findings strongly support all hypotheses. Volunteers were found to play vital roles, particularly in the critical initial response phase where professional teams were lacking, mostly acting as Emergent Organizations. Participants' experiences confirm that the biggest obstacles in the logistical process were infrastructure damage and lack of managerial coordination. Furthermore, cross-analysis results support that volunteers with higher education levels have a high awareness of the complexity of disaster processes and that the required training should focus on strategic issues such as logistical coordination and crisis management. The study found that the most critical success factor for volunteer effectiveness is inter-institutional cooperation and coordination supported by logistical capacity. However, it was found that being the main solution partner in multiple service groups deepens coordination problems in practice. Therefore, meeting coordination by volunteers was emphasized as a fundamental need. Finally, it was confirmed that the underlying motivation for volunteer participation is value-based emotional factors such as altruism, solidarity, and human responsibility rather than rational tasks. Consequently, it is argued that integrating volunteer potential into the system in a planned manner, clarifying task definitions, and focusing on pre-disaster preparedness and risk reduction are indispensable requirements for improving future disaster management performance.