Bermuda-based reinsurer RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. has helped to create a new exhibition at Walt Disney World which will enable visitors to experience the power of a hurricane.

"StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes" officially opened at the Epcot Centre's Innoventions pavilion in Lake Buena Vista, Florida yesterday.

The exhibit features spectacular special effects depicting a combination of different weather hazards into one "storm". After guests have experienced the storm, they learn about cutting-edge scientific research and new construction technologies that can protect their homes.

RenRe and its US affiliate WeatherPredict Consulting teamed up with partners the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH), Simpson Strong-Tie and insurance giant State Farm to create the new exhibit.

The StormStruck project has been seven years in the making. Joe Tankersley, of the Walt Disney Imagineering team was the creative designer.

One of the reasons the reinsurer got involved in a new Disney exhibition is to raise awareness of "storm-proofing" techniques that can dramatically reduce the damage suustained by homes in a hurricane.

RenRe president and chief executive officer Neill Currie told The Royal Gazette yesterday that 130 people or so had attended the opening, including Florida legislators and scientists from the National Hurricane Centre.

"It was important to have the right balance," Mr. Currie said. "We want it to be fun and entertaining, but we also want it to show how serious a hurricane can be - without giving five-year-olds nightmares." Mr. Currie said the special effects, enhanced by wearing 3-D spectacles, made it seem as though debris was flying around and a tree appeared to be falling through the window at one point.

The benefit of hazard mitigation is the message that RenRe wants to get across.

"The name of the exhibit goes back to a story of two houses in Florida, one across the street from the other," Mr. Currie said. "One family took the proper precautions to protect their home and kept their house. The other family lost everything.

"It's not just about dollars and cents. It's about making people safer and maybe even saving lives. Losses for insurers can be lower and that causes a reduction in premiums. Several thousand people may come out of this exhibit and go home and change things. I like a situation where everyone wins."

Simpson Strong-Tie is a construction company specialising in techniques used to make homes more storm resistant. "With the large number of windstorms that we've seen this year, there's no better time than now to make sure homes are built right," said the company's president, Terry Kingsfather.

"For most people their homes are the largest investment they will ever make, so it's important they protect them. This exhibit will help home-owners understand how high winds affect their homes and how to make sure their homes are storm ready by installing such products as wind-resistant windows and garage doors, and using metal connectors to secure their roofs, walls and foundations."

The exhibit is designed for families, although its creators have warned that the main show, which features hi-tech audio and visual special effects showing hail, lightning and high winds, may be too realistic for young children. From pre-show to post-show, the experience lasts between 12 and 20 minutes.

Visitors will learn tips on protecting their homes, such as that doors that open outward have added strength from the door frame and why hip-shaped roofs are more dynamic and therefore more wind-resistant.

RenRe has been proactive in researching and developing risk mitigation techniques. The RenaissanceRe Wall of Wind is a state-of-the-art testing facility that simulates the effects of hurricanes on full-scale buildings to improve housing construction practices. In addition, RenRe has staged the Hurricane Risk Mitigation Leadership Forum series, which brought together experts from different fields to advance hurricane risk mitigation efforts and awareness.

The StormStruck exhibit is scheduled to remain at Epcot for three years. More information is available on the Internet at www.stormstruck.org