September 30, 2004
Raleigh City Museum Chronicles Local Natural Disasters in Newest Exhibit

RALEIGH, N.C. (September 29, 2004) - The Raleigh City Museum will debut its newest exhibit, "Nature Unleashed! Disasters in Raleigh," on Saturday, October 16, 2004 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the museum’s A.E. Finley Foundation Gallery at 220 Fayetteville Street Mall in downtown Raleigh. Joining the museum for the opening will be members of Central Carolina Skywarn, a group of trained severe storm spotters who assist the National Weather Service with weather watches and warnings. Skywarn volunteers will demonstrate how they submit weather dispatches to the local Weather Service office and will answer questions regarding how their services help protect the public from dangerous weather conditions.

"This October commemorates the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Hazel's march through Wake County," said museum curator Dusty Wescott. "We felt this event was significant enough to build an exhibit around and demonstrate the challenges our community has faced over time." The museum also collaborated on an oral history project with 7th and 8th grade classes at the Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle School for the exhibit. Students in the school's language arts and science classes were asked to interview a survivor of a natural disaster in Raleigh, or describe their own experience during such an event. These oral histories will be displayed within a notebook in the exhibit itself.

Remaining on view until Summer 2005, "Nature Unleashed!" will chronicle Raleigh's encounters with nature at its worst. The exhibit will explore specific phenomena such as hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms and blizzards, but will also provide visitors with insights on how agencies predict and prepare for cataclysmic events in Wake County, as well as how our community has responded to assist those in need following a large-scale tragedy. "Nature Unleashed! Disasters in Raleigh" has been made possible through the generosity of Progress Energy and the Regional Transportation Alliance.

All current 2004 Raleigh City Museum members are cordially invited to attend the RCM Annual Meeting, to be held Tuesday, June 22, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. in the museum’s A.E. Finley Foundation Gallery in the Briggs Building.

About the Raleigh City Museum
The Raleigh City Museum is a private, non-profit educational center that uses exhibits, lectures and programs to help residents and visitors discover the diverse aspects of the city's people, places and history. The museum opened its first exhibit in 1993 and moved to its current location in the historic Briggs Building in 1998. Please contact the museum at 919-832-3775 or visit http://www.raleighcitymuseum.org

For more information on these events, please contact Ken Peters, Coordinator of Education & Outreach, at 832-3775 ext. 11.

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