Bunbury's tornadoes
Bunbury has been hit by tornadoes more than once. DFES says that on 10 May 2024 a tornado formed inside a severe thunderstorm and tracked through South Bunbury, Withers and College Grove, damaging 220 homes in under ten minutes. A second storm on 1 to 2 June 2024 hit East Bunbury, Glen Iris and Picton and affected another 221 properties.
It was not the first. On 16 May 2005 a tornado cut a track about 10 km long and 100 m wide from near Boulters Heights to Picton, and the SES answered more than 70 callouts. DFES says South West WA averages five tornado reports a year, brought by passing cold fronts.
What that means for a garage door
When a garage door fails in high wind, the trouble is bigger than the door. The Cyclone Testing Station's report on Cyclone Yasi says a failed large door leaves an opening that sharply changes the pressure inside the building, and it recommends that large access doors be built to resist their wind loads, with anchorages that carry those loads to the ground.
WA's NCC 2022 variation applies AS/NZS 4505, the garage door wind standard, in wind region B as well as C and D, and its explanatory note says region B designs must allow for higher internal pressures. Ask what wind classification your house plans show, and choose a door rated for it.
Electric gates in Bunbury
For electric gates in Bunbury, the gate's weight and the power available at the gate decide the motor. Sliding gate motors have weight limits, from 500kg for the CENTSYS D5-Evo to 800kg for ATA's Neoslider, and several can run on solar or keep a battery charged for power cuts.
Any new mains power out to the gate is done by a licensed electrical contractor, and Building and Energy tells homeowners never to attempt their own electrical work. Our automatic gates page goes through the choices.
Around Bunbury
South Bunbury, Withers and College Grove
These are the streets the 2024 tornado tracked through. If your door was bent or swapped after it, keep the paperwork and the new door's wind rating with the house papers.
Capel and the edges of Greater Bunbury
The Shire of Capel says that if the Map of Bush Fire Prone Areas covers any part of a property, the whole property counts as bushfire prone. Its bushfire building rules are not retrospective, but extensions and renovations may have to meet AS 3959.
The cool season
DFES says the South West gets four to six cold fronts a month from April to October, so autumn is a good time to check the door, its fixings and any opener battery backup.
Handy to have before they call
- What you want: a new door, a replacement, an opener, a repair or a gate
- Photos of any storm damage, and whether the door still runs
- What your house plans say about wind classification
- Whether power is already near the ceiling, or near the gate
What we would do
If a storm has pushed your door out of its guides, leave it as it is, switch the opener off and tell us the job. B&D warns against lifting a door back onto its guide rails yourself, because a spring or cable may have broken, and the door specialist can check the fixings to the frame on the same visit.