A demonstration of how homes can be made stronger to withstand weather events opened yesterday as an entertainment attraction at Disney World amusement park in Orlando, Fla.

The announcement of the new attraction came from Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings, its U.S. affiliate WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., and partners the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes Inc. (FLASH), Simpson Strong-Tie and State Farm.

Called “StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes,” the exhibit is now operating at INNOVENTIONS East at Epcot Walt Disney World Resort.

RenaissanceRe said visitors to “StormStruck” can experience the power of a weather event “while learning how to make their homes safer from rain, hail, high winds, lightning and more.”

It added that the attraction features “exhilarating special effects and interactive audience participation.” There is also a post-show information area that the company said is designed to raise awareness about weather risks, mitigation research and recommendations.

Neill Currie, RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd's president and chief executive officer, explained, “Our goal has always been to offer innovative and creative solutions for the risks facing our clients and the communities they serve. Our participation in this exhibit at Epcot allows us to meet this objective in an exciting new way.”

Mr. Currie said “StormStruck” provides a “unique opportunity to inform many homeowners directly, in an impactful and entertaining way, about their weather-related risks and the mitigation methods available to them. We are proud to join our fellow sponsors in this ground-breaking initiative, which we believe will communicate to millions of people simple and effective ways to make their homes and families safer.”

RenaissanceRe said it believes researching risk mitigation techniques, raising awareness of the benefits of effective risk mitigation and fostering safer, more weather-resistant communities will not only contribute to reducing insurance premium costs over time but also ultimately save lives.

Besides the Epcot installation, the company said its current mitigation initiatives include the RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind. That testing facility has a bank of giant fans that simulates the effects of hurricanes on full-scale buildings to improve housing construction practices and identify effective mitigation techniques.

It also offers a Hurricane Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum series of educational public policy events, which bring together academics, scientists, and other public and private sector representatives to advance hurricane risk mitigation efforts and awareness.

StormStruck is now one of two weather-related entertainments in the Orlando area. Universal Studios Florida theme park operates Twister, which simulates a tornado with special effects that it says include enough air blown around to fill “more than four full-size blimps” and a “piercing sound system runs at 110 decibels.”

Special Reports /

Risk Mitigation A New Epcot Attraction

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