Black Sky Hazards

A Black Sky Hazard is a catastrophic event that severely disrupts the normal functioning of our critical infrastructures in multiple regions, for long durations.

Our modern, high-tech, tightly interconnected world has brought us extraordinary new capabilities. Our infrastructures, utilities, products, services, and supply chains today are all deeply interactive, giving us capabilities far beyond anything seen in history, and weaving together our industrial civilization on an unprecedented, global scale.

Unfortunately, the downside of all our closely interconnected systems is that they become tightly interdependent, with each operating only if all the others are functioning. Serious disruption of any major infrastructure, service, or supply network could cause cascading failures that disrupt them all, and on a global scale: initiating a complex catastrophe known as a “Black Sky event.”

Black Sky-class hazards that could disrupt our deeply interdependent civilization include extreme conventional or space weather, extreme cyber attacks or EMP strikes, high-morbidity / highly infectious pandemics, extreme seismic zones in critical infrastructure regions, and kinetic attacks on critical infrastructure nodes.

At EIS Council, we are committed to hosting research, development, and deployment of the unique “Black Sky-capable” tools and capabilities that will be critical to enable our civilization to withstand such events. The challenge, for all of us: Can we move this effort forward quickly enough to be ready, when humanity confronts the first Black Sky event?

Gain full access to our resource library to discover more.

Manmade Hazards

EMP – High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse

A nuclear detonation in the upper atmosphere creates an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a powerful, damaging electromagnetic field covering a subcontinent-scale region......

IEMI – Intentional Electromagnetic Interference

An IEMI device creates an electromagnetic pulse, potentially far higher in magnitude than EMP, though over very short ranges. Use of such devices on multiple, critical elements of critical infrastructures could create Black Sky Hazard level impacts....

What is Cyber Terrorism?

While utilities and government agencies have made progress in strengthening security against cyber threats, the destructiveness and sophistication of cyber weapons are growing. A successful, severe cyber-attack could cause serious damage to critical infrastructures, on national scales....

Coordinated Physical Assault

Coordinated physical attacks on key elements of power grids or other critical infrastructures could cause power outages of exceptionally wide geographic scope and long durations....

Natural Hazards

Seismic Event – High Magnitude Earthquake

Serious earthquakes in large regional seismic zones could cause power outages far larger in scale and of longer duration than those experienced in previous events. ...

GMD – Geomagnetic Disturbance

Many times each year, the sun ejects a portion of its coronal mass into space. If this highly- energetic, electrically and magnetically charged matter (Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)) encounters the Earth it distorts the Earth’s geomagnetic field....

Hurricanes and Other Severe Weather Events

Edison Electric Institute’s report, “Before and After the Storm,” documents the nationwide array of investments and emerging best practices that investor-owned utilities are making in response to lessons learned from Superstorm Sandy......

Extreme Pandemics

COVID-19's historic and continuing, tragic cost in lives, health and societal well-being represents the first near-Black Sky-class pandemic event in modern times. The unprecedented, global disruption highlighted the potential for a more severe pandemic that could become a global complex catastrophe, with large scale infrastructure disruption... ...

Research Projects

Nearly all of the Council’s projects, initiatives and capability offerings have emerged from continuing, systems engineering-framed research, in consultation and partnership with leading infrastructure operators, government agencies and subject matter experts.

EIS Academy

Advanced all-hazard, all-scale crisis planning, response and recovery learning, for corporate and government professionals and executives.

Experienced national and international leaders and educators utilize advanced multimedia materials providing best practice, state of the art approaches addressing critical infrastructure, supply chain and governance needs in conventional or Black Sky-class catastrophes.

EPRO Handbooks

EPRO® Handbook IV. “EPRO EMP” provides a peer-reviewed compendium of best practices, cost-effective strategic options, and specific approaches for EMP protection of critical elements of bulk power systems.

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EMP Research

In partnership with US DOD’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Science Advanced Research Associates (SARA), and one of the world’s largest power companies, EIS Council conducted EMP vulnerability and protection research for power grid facilities and systems, including first-ever generating station impact research.

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