@article {bnh-7300, title = {Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events: annual report 2019-2020}, number = {607}, year = {2020}, month = {09/2020}, institution = {Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC}, address = {Melbourne}, abstract = {

This BNHCRC project titled:\  Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events prescribes practical structural retrofits that will make improvements to the performance of Pre-80s (Legacy) houses in windstorms as well as measures to reduce damage and loss to modern homes.

The major activity carried out in 2019-20 by the CTS-JCU and GA has been refining the VAWS software package using detailed wind loading and structural response test data and conducting a benefit-cost analysis for a range of retrofit or mitigation options:\ 

The retrofit options for the ten selected house types are also being provided as guideline in a website that is being produced. In line with the project timeline, an alpha version of this tool will be presented to Stakeholders in the next Quarter with the intention of having the final version released at the end of the project.

This project continues to give advice to the Queensland Government Household Resilience Program which provides funding to low income eligible home owners to improve the resilience of their homes against cyclones. This program managed by the Queensland Department of Housing \& Public Works (QDHPW) commenced in late 2018 and has been extended through 2020. Eligible home owners can apply to receive a Queensland Government grant of 75\% of the cost of improvements (up to a maximum of $11,250 including GST. About 1700 houses have been retrofitted so far.\ 

}, keywords = {Housing, resilience, severe wind}, issn = {607}, author = {Korah Parackal and Martin Wehner and John Ginger and Hyeuk Ryu and David Henderson and Mark Edwards} }