Second, from the perspective of the State, when large water-related disasters strike (e.g.,floods, droughts, cholera epidemics), many citizens experience losses at the same time. When citizens suffer routine, random losses, the State is typically not held accountable. Such losses can easily become accepted as part of normal baseline conditions. However, the legitimacy of the State is called into question if it fails to mobilize adequately to large-scale, complex disasters such as floods, drought, and epidemics.