MITIGATION & PREPAREDNESS

Be Fully Ready When Disruption Strikes

Emergency Preparedness enables your organization to build rapid-response systems, ensure staff are trained and aligned, and protect critical operations—so you minimize downtime and recover faster after a crisis.

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Emergency response planning team

Disasters don’t wait for you to be ready. Whether you're a business, nonprofit, or public agency, having a robust preparedness strategy is essential to protect your people, operations, and mission.

Imara-IHG’s Emergency Preparedness service provides a comprehensive, customized approach to help you anticipate risks and act decisively. We begin by assessing your organizational vulnerabilities—natural, technological, social, or operational. From there, we co-develop preparedness plans that include protocols, communication strategies, continuity measures, and escalation pathways.

We also deliver training and simulations tailored to your team’s reality—ensuring that everyone, from executives to frontline staff, knows what to do when the unexpected hits. Our approach is grounded in global best practices, adapted to your local context, and designed to align with your broader resilience goals.

This Video Matters!
It connects theory with practical resilience lessons drawn from real-world failures. And don't forget to check out our Resilience Hub.

Do You Need Urgent Support?

If your organization is facing an emerging threat, lacks readiness plans, or needs immediate guidance to strengthen preparedness, our experts can help. We can quickly assess your current level of readiness, identify critical gaps, and provide rapid direction to ensure your team, operations, and systems are better protected.

Schedule an urgent resilience meeting

Outcomes you can expect

Faster, clearer decisions

So you can shorten incident response time and avoid command-and-control bottlenecks.

Coordinated teams on game day

So you can execute roles and SOPs without confusion across departments and sites.

Fewer losses, better reputation

Whatever investment you make in preparedness, your company will gain back many times over through reduced losses and an improved reputation.

Credibility with regulators & partners

So you can pass audits, satisfy insurers, and strengthen public-facing communication.

These Videos Matter!
They connect theory with practical resilience lessons drawn from real-world failures. And don't forget to check out our Resilience Hub !
Resilience Starts Locally. Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction in Practice
Andrew Slaten
LinkedIn
When Disasters Create New Organizations. Emergence, Power, and Coordination
Corey Eide
LinkedIn
Disaster Volunteering in the Real World: Ethics, Frustration, and What No One Tells You
Michael Noone
LinkedIn
Coast Guard Crisis Leadership. Oil Spills, Disasters, and Leading Through Chaos
Rhianna Macon
LinkedIn




 

What’s Included

Our Emergency Preparedness service provides organizations with a structured, data-driven approach to anticipate disruptions, protect critical operations, and ensure your business thrives in any context. Each engagement follows the Imara-IHG Service Delivery Cycle and is mapped to the first and second stages of our Path to Resilience framework—where internal systems, leadership capabilities, and coordination mechanisms are strengthened to embed resilience across every layer of your organization.

Scope and Structure

We deliver a full-cycle preparedness program built around five integrated, mutually reinforcing components that work together to create a comprehensive resilience infrastructure:

Each component is fully customizable depending on your organization’s maturity level and risk exposure, ensuring proportional effort and maximum impact aligned with your specific operational context.




 

Continuity of Critical Operations

Identify essential business functions, interdependencies, and vulnerabilities. Develop continuity strategies, interim workflows, and reactivation protocols tailored to your organizational structure.

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Business Impact Analysis & Risk Prioritization

Conduct multi-scenario impact analyses and assign recovery objectives (RTOs and RPOs). Use data-driven prioritization to guide investments and allocate resources where they matter most.

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Recovery & Reconstitution Planning

Design phased recovery plans with clear benchmarks, decision triggers, and escalation protocols. Align operational recovery with broader strategic and reputational objectives.

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Continuity Governance & Role Assignment

Establish governance structures for decision-making during crises. Define continuity roles across departments, create leadership playbooks, and train teams through tabletop exercises.

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Third-Party and Supply Chain Continuity

Map critical suppliers, service providers, and partners. Develop contingency plans and substitution protocols to minimize external disruptions.

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Typical Format and Schedule

A standard engagement runs 6–10 weeks, strategically divided into three progressive phases that build upon each other to create comprehensive organizational readiness:

01
Diagnostic & Scoping
Week 1–2: Stakeholder consultations, comprehensive system mapping, and preliminary risk profiling to establish baseline understanding
02
Design & Development
Week 3–6: Creation of continuity frameworks, risk dashboards, governance tools, and operational protocols tailored to your organization
03
Validation & Training
Week 7–10: Simulation exercises, leadership briefings, team training, and comprehensive plan handover with implementation guidance
Project schedule visualization

Optional Add-Ons

Executive Workshops
One-day immersive sessions designed specifically for senior leadership teams to build crisis decision-making capabilities
Continuity Testing & Simulation Exercises
Custom drills and scenario-based exercises to validate readiness and identify improvement opportunities
Digital Dashboards
Salesforce or Google Workspace–integrated tracking systems for real-time monitoring and reporting

Our Leading Experts in this Area

Rodrigo Mena, Ph.D.

Disaster Management in Fragile, Conflict and Vulnerable (FCV) settings. Deputy Director, Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre.

Jono Anzalone, Ed.D.

Experienced Educator, Leader, and Humanitarian Professional. Former Head of Disaster and Crisis (International Federation of Red Cross)

Frederick Spielberg, MPP

Humanitarian Action Consultant. Former Emergency Preparedness Advisor (UNICEF)

Fernando Aragón-Durand, Ph.D.

Expert in Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and International Development

Charilaos Mertzanis, Ph.D.

Professor of Finance, Abu Dhabi University

Nina Goričar, M.A.

Independent consultant driven by our common humanity and desire to co-create a better world. Former War Child manager

América Bendito, Ph.D.

Specialist in Disaster Risk Reduction (UNESCO); Expert in Multi-Hazard Resilience, Climate Action, Inclusive Sustainable Development, and Capacity Building.

Andrew Slaten

Adjunct Professor, Millersville University; Editorial Board member, The Yearbook of International Disaster Law (BRILL); Deputy Director, International Affairs, FEMA (Retired)