Lack of early warning systems sees half the world's countries ill-prepared for extreme weather events

People line up at a tanker truck distributing drinking water amid the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in La Coloma, Pinar del Rio province, Cuba, last week. Picture: AP/Ramon Espinosa

More than half the world's countries are ill-equipped to deal with the likes of hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts, and heatwaves because of a lack of early warning systems in place.

A new report from the UN's Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) found poorer and island countries are in the firing line more than most, with deaths likely to be eight times higher than those with better warning systems.