When a catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, the first priority for disaster relief was providing pragmatic short-term help. We deployed BCG experts in logistics, supply chain management, and finance.
To get West Africa’s Ebola outbreak under control, we worked with the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response and the World Health Organization to develop an innovative 30-60-90-day plan—an effort that not only “bent the curve” but sparked new insights in how to respond to epidemics.
We are committed to supporting the rebuilding efforts of communities impacted by crises—a process that is often long and difficult. Our humanitarian response consultants created a long-term transformation strategy for the New Orleans Public Schools, which had been decimated by Hurricane Katrina.
Four years after the earthquake in Haiti, 150,000 people remained displaced, still living in the temporary plastic and plywood structures erected after the disaster. We helped Save the Children develop a fundraising strategy to raise more than $550 million in emergency funds to continue the response.
And in the wake of 2019’s devastating bushfires in New South Wales, we quantified the physical and economic impact across affected industries and communities—and developed regional economic response strategies that included practical, targeted recommendations for recovery.
The evolving nature of crises means that there’s rarely a ready-made playbook for tackling them. But there are ways to improve preparedness. One of the most intriguing ideas is to harness—and coordinate—the expertise and resources of the private sector: companies that have deep experience in business continuity planning and possess the supply bases and distribution systems that can fill gaps in an emergency. We’ve supported the UN Connecting Business initiative (CBi) in creating and mobilizing national networks of companies. In 2019, nine CBi networks addressed a total of 31 crises, and others organized simulation exercises, developed information and communications systems, and trained local businesses in business continuity planning.
