A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state during a natural disaster, civil unrest, armed conflict, medical pandemic or epidemic or other biosecurity risk.
Members of the Royal Malay Regiment during the Malayan Emergency in 1949, inspecting equipment captured in a raid
State of emergency in Paris, November 2015
An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening of the situation, although in some situations, mitigation may not be possible and agencies may only be able to offer palliative care for the aftermath.
An emergency medical technician treats a woman who has collapsed in the street in New York. Dangers to life and health are serious enough that emergency response systems are considered vital.
Emergency slides are deployed after the crash landing of British Airways Flight 38