%A %T Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) and Its Applications %0 Journal Article %D 2007 %J Science & Technology Review %R %P 60-67 %V 25 %N 0706 %U {http://www.kjdb.org/CN/abstract/article_1206.shtml} %8 2007-03-25 %X The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) is one of the most important free international database, used widely in international disaster management and research community. This paper introduces the creation and characteristic of EM-DAT database, the criteria, type and content of the data contained at first, including the procedure and method, and some extant questions of this database. Secondly, the applications of the EM-DAT in The Hotspots Indexing Project (Hotspots) and The Disaster Risk Indexing Project (DRI) have been analyzed. Finally, this paper carried on preliminary research on the flood disaster characteristic in Asia during 1976-2005 years on the base of this database.