When a crisis strikes, access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs can be among the first casualties, particularly in countries where many people are on treatment. Experience in Southern Africa has shown that although preventing treatment disruptions may be wishful thinking, preparing for them has become a pressing need. New research by the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at South Africa's University of KwaZulu-Natal compared three recent crises that caused treatment disruption - Mozambique's 2008 floods, Zimbabwe's ongoing public healthcare crisis, and South Africa's 2007 public sector strike – to identify potential strategies for keeping patients on treatment during emergencies.