India, March 22 -- I t's a bit like walking into a giant freezer. Except, instead of pantry staples, one may choose between a range of disaster scenarios: blizzards, avalanches, icy slopes, a thunderstorm and rain. Temperatures can drop to -40 degrees Celsius and rise to 60 degrees Celsius. Snow, wind and rain can be programmed to whip through at varying speeds. The air can be engineered to have the effect of an altitude of 9,000 metres, complete with drops in air pressure and oxygen levels. This is terraXcube, an extreme-climate simulation centre in Bolzano, Italy, where first-responders are training for the region's intensifying superstorms. The lab is the brainchild of Hermann Brugger, a physician and founder of the Institute of Mountain...