Effects of cyclone Winifred on buildings.

Includes 32 figs and 1 table

Technical report

Cyclone Winifred crossed the North Queensland coast near Innisfail late on the afternoon of 1 February 1986.It was the most damaging tropical cyclone to cross the Queensland coast since cyclone Althea in December 1971. Wind gusts of the order of 30 m/s or more were experienced over a front of about 150 km from Cairns to Cardwell. Maximum wind gusts are estimated to have been in the order of 50 m/s. Damage to buildings was generally less than original estimates reported. With few exceptions newer houses built to current regulations suffered little damage. Older buildings often had roofing removed, frequently with battens still attached. Severe topographical features in the area are considered to have influenced wind patterns. Magnification of wind effects by escarpments appears to have caused significant damage. The investigation indicated that more attention may need to be given to topographic effects, attachments such as roller doors, tilting doors, awnings and guttering, and corrosion of metal elements. Damage to school buildings was a matter of some concern in view of their frequent use as cyclone shelters in counter-disaster planning. Damage to shade cloth structures appeared to be serious enough to warrant more attention being given to wind resistance in their design .550.