Children eagerly awaited a simulated avalanche to go off at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park on a recent weekday afternoon — one of several challenges visitors tackled at the museum’s newly opened “Worst Case Scenario” exhibit.
A museum staff member instructed the kids, half buried in a ball pit, to stay calm and swim away from a bucket dumping plastic spheres on them. A dozen small children scrambled to free themselves from the simulated snow.
The exhibit made its West Coast debut earlier this month, offering museum-goers 13 mock disasters, from escaping bees to surviving floods to jumping from high rise buildings.
“Worst case scenario is all about getting ready,” said Mwenda KudumuBiggs, vice president of community service and engagement for the center. “How do you get ready for an event, an unexpected event? Through practice. This is an opportunity to practice.”
John Sturges said he learned the importance of assessing situations and remaining composed with his wife and 8-year-old granddaughters on their visit.
“It stimulates your thoughts,” he said. “If you’re presented with danger it’s about staying calm and figure your way out of it.”
The exhibit was inspired by the “Worst-Case Scenario Survival” book series. Co-authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht wrote the first book in 1999, followed by 27 more survival guides over the next two decades.
The popular series explored “real world answers to those action-hero situations,” according to the authors’ website. The duo consulted pilots, firefighters and other professionals who endured their own difficult situations.
The exhibit celebrated those experts with a hall of fame, featuring placards detailing their harrowing challenges.
One story was about airline pilot Ken Voelker and how he landed a plane that lost power.The placard detailed his story and provided a guide on how an untrained civilian could land a plane on their own.
Another narration focused on Irene McDermott, a head librarian from the Los Angeles region who teaches people how to navigate urban areas without internet connection or a smartphone.
As guests read the stories, they can participate in simulations as staff members explain their purposes. Playing tic-tac-toe upside down, for example, helps mobility during a car crash.
In another challenge, two shaky platforms give visitors the chance to experience what it would be like to jump between train cars or tumble out of a moving vehicle.
A lie detecting game instructs guests on how to identify deceit through body language, combining both step-by-step instruction as well as visuals to provide examples.
Gloria Silta, 32, wanted to make sure her child is prepared for dangerous circumstances, especially natural disasters.
“I think it’s really informative for the kids, especially in California, if there is an earthquake or any type of emergency,” said Silta, who brought her 12-year-old son to the museum.
Creators of the exhibition hope that visitors will use this as an opportunity to learn new ways to stay safe.
“The core of the exhibition is really about the process of approaching a worst-case scenario,” said Geoffrey Curley, exhibition designer for the Exhibition Development Group. “The whole exhibition is like a gymnasium. You go there to practice.”
Curley encountered his own life threatening event at a young age.
When he was 11 at a camp in Pennsylvania, he got caught in a rushing river and nearly drowned. Someone was able to rescue him with a flotation device.
He would have benefited from the survival techniques described in the exhibit, Curley said.
“I could have just floated downstream another 100 yards where it’s shallow,” he said. “If I had practiced that, it wouldn’t have been a problem.”
The Worst Case Scenario Exhibit will be open until September 24th at the Fleet Science Center. For more information visit https://www.fleetscience.org/
