Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters

Since 1988 the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) has been maintaining an Emergency Events Database EM-DAT. EM-DAT was created with the initial support of the WHO and the Belgian Government.

The main objective of the database is to serve the purposes of humanitarian action at national and international levels. It is an initiative aimed to rationalise decision making for disaster preparedness, as well as providing an objective base for vulnerability assessment and priority setting.

EM-DAT contains essential core data on the occurrence and effects of over 18,000 mass disasters in the world from 1900 to present. The database is compiled from various sources, including UN agencies, non-governmental organisations, insurance companies, research institutes and press agencies.

If you are interested in disasters, please visit our EM-DAT Website.

The Complex Emergency Database (CE-DAT) is an international initiative that monitors and evaluates the health status of populations affected by complex emergencies. CE-DAT is managed by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) and was created in 2003 as an outcome of SMART, an interagency initiative to encourage rational, evidence-driven humanitarian decision-making.

CE-DAT is a database of mortality and malnutrition rates - the most commonly used public health indicators of the severity of a humanitarian crisis. Field agencies use mortality and nutrition indicators to identify and measure the severity of needs in order to prioritize human and financial resources. These indicators have also been shown to be useful in monitoring the extent to which the relief system is meeting the needs of vulnerable populations and thus the overall impact and effectiveness of the relief system.

If you are interested in complex emergency, please visit our CE-DAT Website.