Taping your windows shut during a cyclone won’t save you

THE fierce winds of a cyclone bring with a heap of myths. Should you tape your windows? Is it wise to hide under a table? And can a nuke stop a cyclone in its tracks?

THERE’S a common myth that taping your windows shut during a cyclone is best practice. It’s not. But Queenslanders will be doing just that as Cyclone Marcia approaches.

Another myth — granted, less widely circulated — is that a nuclear bomb could stop a cyclone in its tracks.

It made us wonder: what other cyclone myths are circling? We’re no experts, but the folks at the Hurricane Research Division of the Atlantic Oceanographic & Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) certainly are.

The organisation published a document in June last year clarifying what works and what doesn’t when staring down the eye of a storm.

TAPING YOUR WINDOWS SHUT

Taping your windows shut doesn’t work, apparently.

Nope, “it is a waste of time, effort and tape”, the group says.

“It offers little strength to the glass and NO protection against flying debris. After the storm passes you will spend many a hot summer afternoon trying to scrape the old, baked-on tape off your windows (assuming they weren’t shattered). Once a warning been issued you would be better off spending your time putting up shutters over doors and windows.”

OPENING WINDOWS ON ONE SIDE TO STOP YOUR HOUSE EXPLODING

Cyclone Marcia makes landfall at Yeppoon. Picture: SHELLY ALLSOP

It seems counterintuitive to keep your windows open during a cyclone. You’d be right if you thought it was a horrible idea.

“The pressure differences between inside your house and outside in the storm do not build up enough to cause any damaging explosions. The winds in a hurricane (or cyclone) are highly turbulent and an open window or door — even if in the lee side of the house — can be an open target to flying debris. All exterior windows should be boarded up with wood or metal shutters.”

HIDING UNDER A TABLE

Choose a strong table to hide underneath.

The Bureau of Meteorology recommends “hold onto a solid fixture” or protect yourself with mattresses, rugs or blankets. If you have to hide under a table, make sure it’s a strong one.

“If the building starts to break up, protect yourself,” the BoM says.

LEAVING WHEN THE WINDS DIE DOWN

Don’t leave the house yet.

A common mistake people make during a cyclone is to leave their home when the winds die down. “Beware the calm eye,” the BoM recommends. “If the wind drops, don’t assume the cyclone is over; violent winds will soon resume from another direction. Wait for the official all clear.”

TRYING TO ‘NUKE’ THE STORM

No nukes, guys.

Leave all nuclear warheads at home. Surprisingly, according to AOML, there “always appear suggestions” during cyclone season that one might “simply use nuclear weapons to destroy the storms”. A scientific explanation is hardly required, but they’ve provided one anyway.

“The main difficulty with using explosives to modify hurricanes is the amount of energy required. To change a Category 5 hurricane into a Category 2 hurricane you would have to add about a half ton of air for each square metre inside the eye, or a total of a bit more than half a billion (500,000,000) tons for a 20km radius eye. It’s difficult to envision a practical way of moving that much air around.”