The design of the newly approved cyclone shelter in Port Douglas has been all but finalised, with some internal structure details still open for consultation, attendees to a public meeting held at Port Douglas State School heard yesterday.

Representatives from Education Queensland, along with the architect and project manager of the 10 facilities which will be constructed along the East coast, told a group of interested stakeholders that the cyclone shelter will be a "school facility for 99.999% of the time."

Those in attendance at the meeting included personnel from emergency service teams such as the SES, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, Mossman Hospital, and Port Douglas Ambulance Service, along with school representatives, Cr Julia Leu, Douglas Regional Manager Liz Collyer, and community members Steve Hull and Russell Jean who have played a significant role in gaining the facility for the town.

The group heard that the cyclone shelter would have a capacity of up to 780 people for between 18-24 hours during an extreme weather event, however, the 38m x 23.5m structure should not be confused with an evacuation centre, and would not be used to accommodate people during the recovery period after a cyclone (it is expected that a number of Port's resorts may be called upon for assistance in this time).

With this in mind, 600 chairs will be available to those seeking shelter, however there will be limited space available for lying down, and personal possessions.

CLICK ON THE DRAFT DESIGN (LEFT) TO ENGLARGE

The cyclone shelter is being designed as a multi-purpose facility which, aside from meeting its primary purpose, will contain:

• basketball and netball courts with the possibility of an indoor soccer field;
• toilets and change rooms;
• kitchen;
• storage rooms;
• staff room; and
• an area within the structure where other successful locations have opted to install a sports laboratory.

Mr Jean expressed concern that the shelter, which will take 30 weeks to construct with the aim of a 1 November 2012 completion, would be unavailable to the wider community under a school run management team, however assurances were given that a "community access agreement" would be established to ensure this was not the case.

When asked if the design of the shelter and its chosen location (in the area where the existing basketball court currently sits - see Google Maps image) could be adapted for expansion in the event future funding becomes available, attendees were told that this would throw "a big spanner" in the works, implying the structure's external design was all but finalised.

The cyclone shelter design, which is being used for all 10 sites, is currently being tested at JCU's wind tunnel where it is anticipated the structure will withstand wind speeds of around 300km/h, or a "low to moderate category five" storm.

Issues yet to be finalised include:

• access to the facility for the general public;
• health and first aid considerations such as preventing a possible spread of infection within the shelter;
• facilities available to elderly/infirmed if and when Mossman hospital is evacuated;
• what happens to people seeking shelter when the facility reaches capacity?;
• car parking (the school's sports field is subject to inundation due to poor drainage); and
• Spring-loaded timber floors commonly used for basketball courts can contribute to higher humidity levels.

In the event of a severe weather event, management of the site would be transferred to an emergency services team.

More to come...