EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database
The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) was created by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), a leading repository of information on the impact of disasters, in 1988.
The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) is a free database containing worldwide data on the occurrence and impact of over 20,000 natural and technological disasters from 1900 to the present day. The main objective of the database is to help by giving data instruments for humanitarian action at national and international levels.
The initiative aims to be a basis for vulnerability assessment and to rationalise decision making for disaster preparedness. More specifically, it helps policymakers identify the most common disaster types in a given country and the associated impacts on human populations.
EM-DAT was created with the initial support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Belgian Government. Partners include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISD) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The database is based on various sources, including UN agencies, NGOs, insurance companies, research institutes and press agencies.
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