A new website called Weather the Storm has been developed to inform builders and homeowners about how to improve an existing home's key structural connections against extreme wind.
Houses are often where we shelter for safety during a cyclone or storm, so they must be up to the task of keeping us safe. Older houses are especially vulnerable to damage during storms – so how do we improve these existing houses to ensure that they are fit for the task?
Researchers at James Cook University’s (JCU) Cyclone Testing Station, in partnership with Geoscience Australia and the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, have developed a new website called Weather the Storm to inform builders and homeowners about how to improve an existing home’s key structural connections against extreme wind.
Accessible at www.weatherthestorm.com.au, the website is based on the findings of the CRC’s research project Improving the resilience of existing housing to severe wind events. This project explored the ways that different types of maintenance and retrofitting can protect an older house from damage at different wind speeds, and devised practical and economic options for upgrading existing houses. The research quantified the effectiveness of retrofitting using detailed vulnerability modelling, wind tunnel testing, and structural and statistical analysis from cyclones and storms. The findings of this research formed a set of guidelines, which were built into the new Weather the Storm website.
Dr Korah Parackal, one of the researchers based at JCU, explained how the website can be helpful for Australian homeowners, especially those in storm-prone areas.
“There are many online resources about preparing houses for storms, but they are usually focused on North American houses, with homeowners being directed to see a builder for more information,” he said.
“One of the aims of Weather the Storm was to give homeowners the tools to be able to understand the effect of winds on their homes and communicate to builders what they need done to strengthen them.”
Weather the Storm is packed with helpful information about how to improve the strength and safety of a house. It guides you through three levels of protection: general maintenance, window and door protection, and roof tie-down retrofitting (offering the most protection).
You can also learn about the factors that give a house its strength against extreme winds, including the importance of tie-downs: points of connection between the roof, walls and foundation of a house that should be reinforced to withstand extreme wind events. For example, replacing corrugated roof sheeting alone will not improve the performance of a house unless the other connections in the ‘tie-down chain’ are also strengthened.
“Most of the time, a house structure holds the weight of the roof up, but during severe wind, the roof needs to be held down instead,” Dr Parackal explains.
“This is done through the chain of connections, connecting the roof cladding all the way down to the foundations. Wind will always find the weakest link in this chain and that’s how failures can occur during a cyclone or thunderstorm.”
The website can also be used as an educational guide for homeowners or builders when planning a new house or renovations to an old house. In addition to structural integrity in the building phase, new homes can benefit from maintenance and window and door protection to reduce the chances of future damage from water and general wear and tear.
Builders and homeowners will find links to all building regulations and approvals processes in each state and territory, as well as resources and guidelines based on relevant Australian building standards.
Other partners that contributed to the development of Weather the Storm were the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works; the Queensland Building and Construction Commission; the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment; the Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety; the Northern Territory Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics; the Insurance Australia Group; Willis Reinsurance Australia; Risk Management Solutions; Munich Reinsurance; Suncorp Australia; the Master Builders Association; Engineers Australia; the Australian Roof Tile Association; Stramit Building Products; A Gabrielli Construction and Townsville City Council.