A technical report on structural damage to buildings during Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland will inform future design and construction standards and consideration of community safety issues.
The report, TC Yasi Structural Damage to Buildings, is based on first-hand field studies immediately after the cyclone in affected areas of North Queensland.
James Cook University’s Cyclone Testing Station (CTS) marshalled Australia’s leading cyclone researchers and building professionals to compile data for the report.
Image: Daily Telegraph online
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), which provided financial support for the report, welcomes its release. The report is available on the Board's website at www.abcb.gov.au or from James Cook University at www.jcu.edu.au/cts
ABCB Chairman Graham Huxley said, “The report noted that under the heavy wind loads of TC Yasi, buildings that had been built or extensively modified since the 1980s performed well.
“However, the report clearly pointed to the need for further review of a range of issues affecting community safety and resilience in cyclone prone areas.”
The report recommended several issues for consideration by industry, governments and the community relating to the performance of building products, Australian Standards and the cyclone construction requirements of the National Construction Code (NCC).
The Board will consider the report’s implications for work it already has underway on the adequacy of existing cyclone construction requirements and engage with Standards Australia on issues identified in the report.
