The United Nations says 2010 was the deadliest year for natural disasters in more than two decades, with nearly 300,000 people killed worldwide.
The most lethal disasters were the Haiti earthquake in January which killed at least 220,000 and Russia's summer heatwave and forest fires in which about 56,000 people died.
Some 370 major disasters were recorded last year.
The UN's special representative for disaster risk reduction, Margareta Wahlstroem, says the human cost of such events will continue to rise unless pre-emptive action is taken.
"If you want to save lives, you have to be prepared. You can not consider a disaster as something that happens once ... and you get very surprised when it happens the next time. You have to have a credible early-warning system."
Ms Wahlstroem says it is crucial for countries to prepare themselves for potential disasters.
