Reaching Millions with Virtual Reality to Save Lives with Jessi Acuna of the Regional Flood Control District (CCRFCD)

With a “bowl-like” geographical shape and a soil that does not absorb too much water, Las Vegas has a tendency to experience much more floods than any other place in the country, making it a necessity to not only develop and invest in infrastructure, but also to educate its residents about the dangers of driving through flooded roads. And, while this is precisely one of the goals of the Regional Flood Control District in Clark County (CCRFCD), the teaching methods they are currently using are truly innovative: they are using Virtual Reality to educate people about these risks.

Jessi Acuna works with the Regional Flood Control District as a public information coordinator, doing a lot of public outreach and promoting campaigns in order to educate the general public about the many different aspects of flood safety. The District's last survey found out that 60% of young drivers decide to drive through flooded roads instead of turning around, what motivates her to primarily focus on elementary and high school students.The District’s educational program has had a massive success since it was first launched in 2019, and its Youtube video that uses VR to mirrors what happens in real floods has had more than 3 million views.

According to Jessica “only 1 foot to 2 feet of water is necessary to sweep your pickup truck away”. Thus, listen to this episode to learn more about this wonderful work that Jessi is doing, as well as her thoughts on how VR can be an useful tool in the future.

Resources Mentioned

Regional Flood Control District - Website / Youtube / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Youtube Video: VRFlood - A 360VR Flood Experience

Flood VR Experience - Website

Arizona Flood - Here

Civil FX’s Distracted Driving VR - Distracted Driving Simulator

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