Following the devastation caused by Severe TC Winston, I think it is about time the Government instituted certain building standards and designs for people.

Let’s face it, cyclones are not going away and all indications are they will get stronger.

With limited resources people are committed to perpetual servitude in rebuilding their lives every so often.

That needs to change.

In 1974 Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city of Darwin in Australia to the point that the then prime minister Whitlam declared that the city had ceased to exist.

The Darwin Reconstruction Commission was charged to rebuild the city within five years and it did.

What is interesting is that several building codes were drawn up to ensure there was no repeat of the extent of damage that occurred during Tracy.

Interestingly, my father obtained one of these codified building plans from a cousin who lives in Darwin when he built his house in 1985.

Long story short, there was zero damage to my late dad’s home in Ba during Severe TC Winston and the house has been through several other cyclones.

I strongly feel the Government needs to institute similar commission that can come up with building designs so people can rebuild with some certainty that their houses will survive future hurricanes.

Maybe, someone should look at what the social media is reporting as homes in Koroipita, where houses built by a certain Peter Drysdale, seem to have survived unscathed.

This should be a matter of priority before people start rebuilding.