Queenslanders benefit from cyclone research

By Costa Haritos. This article first appeared in Issue Four 2018 of Fire Australia.

The Queensland Government Household Resilience Program, informed by research from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, will increase resilience towards tropical cyclones for eligible homeowners in Queensland.

Professor John Ginger and Dr David Henderson from the ‘Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events’ project at the Cyclone Testing Station, James Cook University, have been working with the 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,” said Dr Henderson.

The scheme will allow homeowners to receive government funding to upgrade roof structure, protect windows and strengthen doors—all of which can be damaged by internal pressures during strong cyclonic winds.

“Protecting your windows with debris screens or shutters reduces the chances of windows breaking, which could double the uplift load on your roof by preventing the windward wall pressure from entering the house through a broken window,” explained Dr Henderson.

Building improvements made under the scheme 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. Cyclone Debbie, for instance, reached speeds of up to 195 km/h and destroyed more than 300 houses in March 2017.

The team’s work at the Cyclone Testing Station has highlighted the dangers of not retrofitting susceptible homes. 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 team also investigates damage after cyclones. This has revealed that poor maintenance of house components, such as rusted or rotted posts, barges and sills, can weaken the house.

The Queensland Government will provide a grant of up to 75% of the cost of improvements, to 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 50 km of the coast)
• own or are the mortgagor of a house built before 1984
• live in the home (i.e. it is your primary place of residence)
• meet the income eligibility requirements.

Find out more at tinyurl.com/CycloneGrant