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While disasters are often unpredictable, the harm they cause can be mitigated or partly prevented. WHO/Europe works closely with Member States and international and national partners to help communities prepare for disasters, deal with their health consequences and mitigate their long-term effects.

Communities are particularly vulnerable when local and national systems, specifically health systems, cannot cope with the consequences of a crisis. This may be because they are overwhelmed by a sudden increase in demand or because the institutions that underpin them are weak and cannot deliver what is expected.

Crises can be triggered by:

• sudden catastrophic events, such as earthquakes, floods and industrial accidents;
• complex and continuing emergencies, including violent conflict, population displacement or dramatic political change;
• slow onset processes, such as the gradual breakdown of a country’s social institutions due to economic decline, environmental pollution or degradation, or the impact of an evolving pandemic.