Abstract:
Public outreach on natural hazards can increase public awareness of natural disasters, help them to accumulate disasterrelated knowledge, and improve their ability to help themselves as well as others out of devastating situations, thus to minimize damages caused by natural hazards. In order to make the best use of TV in popularizing disaster prevention and mitigation related science, we designed a science outreach column, with the name Disasters Records. This column is based on recorded hazardous images and onthespot shooting of newlyhappened disasters, and it makes the most of digital media technologies. Programs in this column tell stories, show great concern with disasterstricken people, and analyze some interwoven natural, social and cultural reasons behind natural hazards. They put natural changes in a social context, and include interpretations by meteorologists, experts on hazards and sociologists, thus to present a more comprehensive and more profound understanding of the disasters to the public. As for some abstract concepts and theories, animation displaying techniques are used to make them more acceptable. Disaster images, interviews with disasterstricken people, and presenting skills like animation, comments, music, and musical effects are wellbalanced by digital editing techniques, which make the programs vivid and endow them with science popularization values. Under the guidance of the column design, we have finished shooting of more than 200 programs since 2003. They are broadcasted through several kinds of media and their science outreach values are well exerted, as well as pave the way for accumulating experience on public education on natural hazards.