In the aftermath of the powerful Cyclone Yasi, the state government of Queensland has issued building guidelines that aim to help homes withstand future storms like that.
In response to the destruction left by Cyclone Yasi when it swept over the state of Queensland, the state government has created new guidelines for rebuilding the homes that the cyclone destroyed, meant to withstand similar ocean storm surges.
Among the guidelines, the first of their kind in Australia, are recommendations for citizens to rebuild their beachside homes on stumps, as high off the ground as possible with enough room for a storm tide to flow underneath the house.
Reinforced concrete blocks or cast concrete panels are also suggested for the ground-level walls and supports, bolstering them in order to brace them against the surge force.
Major General Mick Slater, the person in charge of restoring storm-ravaged Queensland, revealed the non-mandatory guidelines at a community meeting in Tully Heads, one of the small towns affected by the cyclone.
He said the guidelines, drawn up by a team of experts, would not be finalised without the consent of the community, and then would have to be enshrined by statutory building codes by the government before the rules could be enforceable.
While the guidelines are not strictly required, Major General Slater encouraged people living in coastal areas to take them into account.
However, not all are in favour of the proposed guidelines.
“I can’t see the community wanting to build houses off the ground with nothing underneath — all that wasted space,” said Ross Sorbello, a councillor with the Cassowary Coast Regional Council and a victim of Cyclone Yasi.
He also said that he wasn’t sure residents of the beachside area would want to build their homes on stumps as it would destroy the views of the neighbours behind them.
