Natural catastrophes have highlighted the need for governments and insurers to better prepare populations for the sudden devastation that earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other calamities can cause, Munich Reinsurance Co. said in a report released Tuesday.

“Fire, water, earth and air…have seldom been so destructive as in 2010,” Torsten Jeworrek, a member of Munich Re’s board of management and chairman of the reinsurance committee, said in the report “Geo Topics. Natural Catastrophes 2010.”

There were 960 catastrophic events in 2010, far higher than the average of 785 per year over the past 10 years, Mr. Jeworrek noted. Economic losses from natural catastrophes amounted to about $150 billion in 2010, producing insured losses of about $37 billion, he said.

In some cases, the catastrophes have provided opportunities for governments and other organizations to better prepare populations for such disasters, the report pointed out.

Last year’s earthquake in Haiti that severely damaged that island nation provides such an opportunity for the country to integrate preparations for future catastrophes into an overall plan that includes developing coverage of infrastructure and microinsurance for the population, Munich Re said in the report.

“For all its destruction, the catastrophe is a great opportunity for the country to establish an orderly public administration and smoothly functioning state in the course of its reconstruction effort,” the reinsurer said in the report. “If that does not succeed, the entire reconstruction effort—which must to a large extent be considered an effort towards greater self-reliance—will be doomed to failure.”

Flooding in Pakistan, where insurance penetration is low among low-income families, showed “how helpless people are in countries which do not have reliable assistance and support structures, be it from their government or insurance companies,” said the report.

In Russia, where wildfires caused significant economic losses, the government has taken steps to increase insurance penetration, the report said. Under a new law, agricultural operations, which were heavily damaged by the fires, must buy insurance to be eligible for state aid. In return, the government will pay 50% of the premium.

The Russian government also is working on a bill to require property owners to buy insurance, according to the report.

In the United States, 2010 was the second straight year that there were only moderate levels of insured losses from natural catastrophes. Despite an active hurricane season, the U.S. saw only minor damage. Thunderstorms caused insured losses of $9 billion, and winter storms caused $2.8 billion in claims, the report said.

The report is available at www.munichre.com.