Blacktown. Pressing need to examine standards

Professor Alan Jeary, from the UWS School of Engineering, believes preliminary figures from a new study demonstrate the pressing need to closely examine the standards for roofing and establish new guidelines so roofs can resist hail damage. The study of hailstorms in Sydney showed roofs were unable to resist large hailstones. The December 2007 storm in Blacktown alone was expected to cost in excess of $400 million. "Using standard statistical measures, there hasn't been sufficient historical data on hail size to establish the risk of hail damage - so the threat has been largely ignored by regulators, builders and manufacturers, The current wind codes in Australia require buildings to withstand a one in 1000 year wind storm, yet preliminary data analysis suggests the devastating hailstorm in Blacktown last December could happen as often as every 10 to 15 years," Professor Jeary said.