Washington, D.C., July 8, 1998
Mother Nature houses her power in earth, wind, and fire—make that 200 mph (322 kph) winds tossing farm machinery, landslides crushing houses, avalanches hurtling down upon skiers, and fire ravaging Mexico. EXPLORER’s new season premieres with “Disaster Sunday,” August 23 at 7:00 p.m. ET, exclusively on TBS Superstation.
El Niño’s rains drenched much of California to the saturation point. Then in spring 1998 the Earth gave up and gave way. EXPLORER’s new film “Landslide!,” features collapses that sent expensive houses crashing down terraced slopes, and, in one case, swept an infant out of her home in a wave of mud. Join desperate rescuers and witness the high human costs when Earth’s soil moves with sudden and unstoppable force.
Far from the beaches of southern California, the Alps is a place of picturesque peaks, quaint villages, pricey ski holidays, and more often than travelers suspect, deadly avalanches that claim dozens of lives each year. In “Thunder on the Mountain,” computer animation illustrates the hidden dynamics of these dangerous snowslides, set in motion by a variety of often predictable conditions. High in the mountains of France, Switzerland, and Italy, EXPLORER meets survivors who have literally been buried alive and joins snow scientists as they work to unlock the mysteries behind what some have called “white death.”
If earth and snow moving at 200 mph (322 kph) is not enough for an immediate adrenaline rush, get caught up by the catapulting forces of a tornado. Every year some 800 tornadoes are reported in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains in an area known as Tornado Alley. While most people run the other way, some individuals are compelled to run towards them. In the storm chasing community, the main objective is to get as close as possible to safely photograph a tornado. EXPLORER’s “Tornado Hunters” follows a group of ordinary people who have chosen to spend their summer vacations racing through the West in search of the next big twister.
Not a show for those who grow weak-kneed at the thought of a light rain, EXPLORER’s disaster premiere reminds us that there are still forces of nature which we can experience only with awe.
Contact:
Adrienne D'Amato, Dera & Associates
+1 212 966 4600
Katie MacCarthy, National Geographic Television
+1 202 775 6146
Lisa Tobias, TBS Superstation
+1 404 885 2051
