Hurricane Ike - the one i told you to keep an eye on it two weeks ago when it was only a tropical storm - hit texas this morning, and very unfortunately it is a highly devastating category 2 hurricane, so let's hope that everybody is in a safe place.
Ike is too far from Florida to have effects on Walt Disney World, but Epcot's guests can have an idea of what a hurricane can do in the new Innoventions attraction "StormStruck, a tale of two homes" which opened one month ago. Below, the official artwork, click to see it in big size.
Some presentation from the official press release, now : As they first enter the Storm Struck venue, guests watch a variety of weather videos and reports on an upcoming storm. Then they enter a theater designed to make the participants feel that they are sitting in their own house – they can even see out into the backyard. This sets the scene for the participants to watch a storm that is coming. Through interactive technology and special effects, guests experience the sensation of the storm getting stronger and be able to watch and feel as the storm passes by "their house."
After the storm, participants go through a series of interactive experiences that will educate them on building safe, strong homes as they rebuild their "virtual home" and see how it would withstand another major weather event. Viewers can see messages and information from all of the sponsors, including State Farm, throughout the experience. The exhibit draws on information that was presented in the State Farm-produced FLASH video – A Tale of Two Houses. This video tells the story of two Florida homes side-by-side during Hurricane Charley in 2004. One home, built in the ‘60s, did not survive, while the other, constructed using building codes post-Hurricane Andrew, did.
While Floridians may be used to strong storms, only a small percentage of the visitors to INNOVENTIONS at Epcot are from the state. The majority of guests are from other areas around the nation and worldwide, which means for many, this would be the first time that they are experiencing such severe weather. This makes the exhibit an opportunity to educate and inform them about severe weather mitigation. "This exhibit allow people who have not experienced these types of storms to understand what other people go through and recognize what they can do to make their homes safer and stronger through construction practices".
Here is the official video that will show you more of what happen inside this ( small ) attraction.
No video available of the show itself - it's probably forbidden to film during the show - but here is a video of the pre-show movie.
At the end of the experience, visitors will leave the theatre but will have the chance to learn even more. Interactive displays and devices will allow guests to understand the weather perils that affect their local areas. This information will be accompanied with mitigation messages. "This exhibit allows people to experience strong weather without actually going through the devastation of a storm," Matthews said. "It's safe, educational and fun."
Photo, artwork and videos: copyright Disney
Youtube pre-show video thanks to CLslinkyman !
