A United Nations-backed panel called on governments to accelerate investment in early-warning systems, citing a string of extreme weather events that caught vulnerable communities off guard this year.
The panel's report found that fewer than half of the countries it surveyed had warning systems capable of reaching rural populations with enough lead time to act.
Officials pointed to low-cost measures, including expanding SMS-based alerts and training local volunteers, as faster wins than large infrastructure projects.
The panel is expected to present a fuller set of recommendations at a ministerial meeting later this year.