Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) is supporting rapid response research to investigate the structural and inundation impacts from Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is a significant event resulting in damage from flooding, strong winds and coastal erosion that will provide critical data to be captured and analysed in the immediate, short and longer-term.
Expert engineers and researchers from James Cook University’s Cyclone Testing Station have been deployed to south-east Queensland to capture data immediately after Alfred makes landfall.
The investigation, led by Dr David Henderson and Associate Professor Geoffrey Boughton, aims to critically evaluate the structural and inundation impacts caused by Alfred.
This will involve documenting the effects of extreme wind and associated hazards on buildings and infrastructure and collecting data on wind speeds, water ingress and secondary damage caused by debris.
Findings will inform improved decision-making around construction practices, building codes and disaster resilience strategies for communities in cyclone-prone regions.
“Research in the immediate aftermath of an emergency like Alfred is critical in supporting post-disaster impacts, recovery, rehabilitation, planning and community response for natural hazards,” CEO Andrew Gissing said.
The Centre funds post-event damage investigation research in direct response to natural hazards and other changes that affect vulnerability, exposure or resilience.
“By supporting research like this through our Rapid Disaster Research Program we help ensure that perishable data in disaster-affected areas is captured to better understand the event and its impacts,” Andrew said.
These activities can help to identify significant research questions arising from major natural hazards.
For more information, contact: research@naturalhazards.com.au