Neither natural nor man-made disasters can be avoided, but some things depend on the human factor, Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) Chairman Hristo Grigorov said Friday.

Speaking at a media forum called "Disasters, Breakdowns, Crashes: Are We Ready?", co-organized by the EU Commission Representation in Bulgaria and the BRC, he added the human behavior played an important role with regard to disasters like the "the floods in Asparuhovo, Varna or Mizia".

"We are cutting forests down in the zones of risk, but do not plant new ones and later wonder why rivers sweep our homes," he added.

He also urged citizens to show solidarity in case of a new disaster.

A total of 529 disasters have been registered globally in 2013, 337 of them being natural and 192 caused by technological breakdown.

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