Select windows with good seals on moving sashes (the glass and frame) and over weep holes. Wind-driven rain can enter through the weep holes in windows and glass sliding doors.

Some windows are designed with features such as ball valves in sills or flaps over weep holes. This is to minimise the volume of water that is driven into the sill by differential pressure from the outside of the building to the inside. Better quality seals do not allow water to bypass them at the ends of the seal. They can also accommodate movement in the window under high pressures.

Installing windows for a higher wind classification is one way to achieve better water resistance.

Ask your builder about the effectiveness of the seals for pressures higher than the standard test pressure. This will give you an indication of the performance of the windows.

Strong rooms can resist higher wind forces and larger wind-borne debris than the rest of a house. Because of this, they can provide a higher level of protection from serious injury or death. They're also designed to have a higher chance of remaining intact. This is true even if the rest of the house is severely damaged.

Seek professional guidance on designing and building a strong room. They have mandatory technical design and construction specifications and deemed-to-satisfy solutions. This includes on materials and construction details. 

Use a higher wind classification in the building design than indicated in AS 4055 or AS/NZS 1170.2.

For example:

• If your home is being designed using AS 4055 and is classified as C1, use C2 details.
• If your house is being designed using AS/NZS 1170.2 (that is larger houses that don't comply with AS 4055), ask your engineer to design to a higher wind speed. This will mean that windows and garage doors will be specified for a higher wind classification. 

Reinforce your gutters by installing gutter clips at closer spacings than specified by the manufacturer.

Gutters are clipped onto the edge of your roof. Extreme wind loads can unclip gutters and cause flailing. This can damage the rest of the building and lead to concentrations of rainwater that can get past flashings and cladding and enter the roof space.

Solid-core doors are more resilient to damage from small and light wind-borne debris than hollow-core doors.

If doors blow in during strong winds, water can enter the building through the large door opening. This water can cause damage to linings, internal cabinetry and building contents. Doors can fail by flexure of the door itself or by failure of the latch or hinges. If the latches or hinges are too small, they cannot resist the wind pressures and would be the weak link in the door.

Standard entrance door locks may not be adequate to withstand cyclonic wind loads. This is particularly true for double doors. Additional support for external doors, such as bolts into the floor and head of the door frame, may be required. For double-opening doors, bolts on top and bottom are required on each door panel, as the central latch cannot provide sufficient strength to keep the doors closed.

Storm surge and wind-driven rain are key risks in a cyclone. They can damage vulnerable wall linings. 

This includes damage to:

• plasterboard,
• standard plywood,
• fibreboard
• strawboard.

You can reduce your risk of damage by your choice of construction. You can use concrete or blockwork for your internal walls. Make sure they also can't trap water.

You should also consider choosing water-resistant internal wall linings. 

This could include:

• fibre cement sheeting,
• villa board 
• marine-grade plywood.

Valley gutters can allow wind-driven rainwater to enter your roof. This is especially true when wind is blowing up the valley, as the shape of your roof may concentrate water in the valley.

You should avoid designing complex roofs that have many valleys and ridges. Complex roofs need greater protection to prevent rainwater entering your roof during a storm or cyclone. You should instead choose a simple roof profile. This stops the need for complex sealing of the side and top of the valley gutter against the rain.