As Severe Tropical Cyclone (TC) Narelle made landfall across Cape York in Far North Queensland, Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) activated its post-disaster research funding to collect important data to help keep communities safe during future cyclones.
Led by Dr David Henderson and Dr Geoffrey Boughton, a team of wind engineers and researchers from the Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University, are investigating the impact of severe TC Narelle’s extreme wind and associated hazards on buildings and infrastructure to inform improved resilience strategies.
This on-ground deployment aims to provide critical insights into the performance of buildings and infrastructure under cyclonic conditions.
Findings will inform improved construction practices, building codes and disaster resilience strategies for communities in cyclone-prone regions. with a range of data collected including structural damage and failure mechanisms in buildings and infrastructure and on wind speeds, water ingress, and secondary damage caused by debris.
Centre CEO Andrew Gissing highlights the need for post-disaster research to inform future building standards, policies and emergency response.
“The team from the Cyclone Testing Station will collect perishable data before recovery efforts begin and these crucial findings are lost,” Andrew said.
“They will assess structural damage and failure mechanisms in buildings and infrastructure impacted by Severe TC Narelle, document wind speeds, water ingress and secondary damage caused by debris.”
“This will provide data to support refinements in wind loading codes and building design standards and inform future community resilience and risk mitigation strategies.”
After its generation over the Coral Sea, TC Narelle tracked westward towards the Queensland coast where it was reached category five strength, Australia’s strongest category with destructive impact posing significant risk to life and property
Re-classified as a category three severe tropical cyclone (165 to 224 km/h gust wind speed) as it approached Groote Eylandt to a tropical low as it passed over Eastern Arnhem land in the Northern Territory before tracking across the north of Western Australia to make landfall.
The research team will seek to collect data from Western Australia, subject to weather conditions and access, as roads and national parks in the affected area are currently closed.
The Cyclone Testing Station at James Cook University undertakes research into impacts of severe weather on our communities. Damage surveys are an important part for gathering information and understanding the design criteria, construction, materials, and maintenance. Findings from such research help:
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Assist the development of effective building practices
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Improve safety in high wind events including cyclones
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Mitigate risk and reduce costs resulting from wind and rain damage.
A full report will be shared following analysis of the findings through Centre communications channels.