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Get Away

A date with disaster

Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Wildfires. Beginning Saturday, visitors to a new exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry will get a taste of some of the terrors nature has to offer, and a lesson in science.

By SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published August 3, 2006

MOSI is becoming a disaster area, and exhibit planners assure parents that's a good thing.

Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry this weekend unveils a permanent exhibit dubbed "Disasterville" that explores the science and the terror of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, earthquakes and anything else nature throws at us.

It opens Saturday in 10,000 square feet of space on the second floor that used to house the Florida orange industry exhibit.

Four "immersion theaters" dramatize common disasters, and the whole family can work as a news team with one reporter, one scientist, one emergency planner and a producer putting together a newscast to report on an impending disaster in the WeatherQuest section.

In the earthquake exhibit, slight tremors will alert visitors to hang on. Then a strong shock will make the floor move slightly as pictures on the wall shake and lights flicker. Stereo speakers add to the noise around you, and soon, through the "window," you'll see a city devastated by an earthquake.

People who live through tornadoes frequently recount that it "sounded like a freight train coming through." In the tornado exhibit, the storm sounds increase as the tornado comes closer, providing a powerful audio experience. Computerized video screens show the damage through the "basement window" as things start falling around the house. Watch as the tornado passes through town and neighbors' houses fall apart.

Probably the scariest exhibit for Floridians, the hurricane area, shows actual footage of one of nature's most powerful events, with big storm surges and homes smashed by violent waves. Visitors hear a howling wind as a fan system blows gusts and water is injected into the air "for a damp feeling," a MOSI news release says.

For wildfires, visitors step into a cabin set in a wooded area and look out the window as a forest fire rages toward the cabin. Animals shriek, firefighters yell and eventually the fire roars as it engulfs the home. Infrared heaters add to the realism and puffs of smoke make their way through cracks in the walls.

The point, MOSI educators say, is to teach students the science behind natural disasters and to teach their parents about building materials and planning.

Rather than scaring kids, the exhibit "is meant to get them involved with planning," said Shani Jefferson, a MOSI spokeswoman. "Kids generally don't realize they can help mom and dad prepare and protect themselves."

Some exhibits explain geological and meteorological science, others demonstrate how structures can be made stronger and how a family emergency plan can reduce everybody's risk, Jefferson said.

If you go

Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) has a new, permanent exhibit, "Disasterville," included with regular admission.

Admission: $23.95-$29.95, $21.95-$26.95 seniors and $19.95-$23.95 kids, depending on package purchased; under 2 free.

Where: MOSI, 4801 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. (813) 987-6100 or www.mosi.org. Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

[Last modified August 2, 2006, 09:09:39]