The U.N.'s top natural disaster official said Tuesday that the world is better prepared to face past calamities like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami but it is not ready for the extreme weather of the future. Margareta Wahlstrom, U.N. special representative for disaster risk reduction, said that early warning systems like those now in place in the Indian Ocean are helping improve preparations for major disasters. However, Wahlstrom said that much more needs to be done to prepare for the extreme weather that has noticeably increased in recent years.
