Principles for Responding to Black Swan Events

Traditional emergency response plans prescribe methods for responding to predictable events but are unlikely to adequately cover all Black Swan event conditions and situation-management needs. Preplanning provides a framework and guidelines that are readily adaptable to changing circumstances and helps ensure an organization is ready to effectively response should a Black Swan event occur.

An effective response to a Black Swan is one that minimizes impact by limiting the scope and duration of the event. Foundational to effectively responding to an unexpected catastrophic Black Swan event is a collection of broadly applicable principles. These principles should be applied during both the preparation for and response to a Black Swan event