New grant for Queenslanders

A selection of homes in Queensland will be retrofitted to withstand the force of a tropical cyclone under a new program informed by research from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC.

The Household Resilience Program will enhance resilience towards tropical cyclones for eligible home-owners in Queensland.

Prof John Ginger and Dr David Henderson from the Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events project at the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University have been working with the Queensland Government to create the program.

“Houses built before the early-1980s may not be built to cyclonic building standards and therefore may not have appropriate connections to resist cyclonic winds,” Dr David Henderson said.

The scheme will upgrade the roof structure, protect windows and strengthen doors, which can be damaged by internal pressures during strong cyclonic winds.

Building improvements made under the Program may also reduce home insurance premiums for residents.

“For homeowners undertaking retrofitting, benefits include greater security in sheltering, minimised damage to contents and potential reductions in insurance premiums,” Dr Henderson said.

Some houses in the region may not have been built to withstand excessive winds, like Cyclone Debbie that reached speeds of up to 195km/hr in March 2017 and destroyed over 300 houses.

Extreme winds can create large internal pressures that push on the internal structures of a property. This creates a negative pressure on the roof and has the potential to tear a home apart.

The Queensland Government will provide a grant of up to 75 per cent of the cost of improvements, with a maximum of $11,250.

You may be eligible for the grant if you:

• live in a recognised cyclone risk area (from Bundaberg to the Queensland/Northern Territory border within 50km of the coast);
• own or are the mortgagor of a house built before 1984;
• live in the home (it is your primary place of residence);
• meet the income eligibility requirements.

For further information and to find out if you are eligible click here.