Storm-Damaged Asbestos Roof or Fence in Geelong: What to Do Next
Geelong gets its share of wild weather. Strong westerlies across Corio Bay, gusty fronts through the Bellarine and the occasional hailstorm are enough to lift roof sheets, flatten old fences and drop branches onto sheds. For most materials that is an annoying repair. When the roof, fence or shed is made of asbestos cement sheet, it becomes a safety and clean-up problem as well, because the material that was stable while intact is now cracked, broken and scattered.
This guide explains what to do in the first few hours and days after storm damage to asbestos materials, and how a proper clean-up works. It is general information only, and your insurer and the relevant authorities may give specific directions for your situation.
Which materials are likely to be asbestos
Homes built or extended before the late 1980s commonly have asbestos cement sheet in places that take the brunt of a storm. Fibro fences are the classic example, especially along back and side boundaries in suburbs like Corio, Norlane, Bell Park, Newtown and Belmont. Corrugated cement roofs on older homes, garages, carports and sheds are another, along with fibro eaves and the cladding on older sheds and sleepouts.
You cannot tell asbestos by looking, but if the material is a grey cement-like sheet and the building or fence predates the late 1980s, treat it as asbestos until a test says otherwise. Our Asbestos Testing & Identification service can confirm it quickly with a sample analysed by a NATA-accredited laboratory.
What to do straight away
Keep people and pets away from the broken material. Children in particular are drawn to fallen fences and debris, and the fewer people walking over broken sheet, the less it gets crushed. If you need emergency help because a roof is open or a structure is unsafe, call the SES or emergency services and tell them you suspect asbestos.
If you can do it safely without walking on or breaking the material further, it can help to limit how far debris spreads, for example by closing a gate or keeping vehicles off an area. Take photos and video from a safe distance of everything that is damaged, including the fence line, the roof, the yard and anything the material landed on.
What not to do
Do not sweep, rake, hose or blow broken asbestos sheet or dust, and never use a high-pressure washer, leaf blower or power tools on it. Do not stack broken pieces into the wheelie bin, a skip or the green waste, and do not take them to a general tip. Do not cut or snap damaged sheets to make them fit somewhere.
It is tempting to tidy up quickly, especially when a neighbour's yard is involved, but handling broken material without the right controls is exactly how fibres get released and spread through the soil, the lawn and the house.
Insurance and neighbours
Contact your insurer early, before anything is removed, and ask what they need. Most will want photos and a written quote, and some will appoint their own contractor. Ask specifically whether asbestos removal, disposal and any clearance inspection are covered, because those items are separate from the cost of the new fence or roof.
Where a boundary fence has come down, talk to your neighbour as soon as you can. Fallen fence panels often end up on both properties, and both yards may need clearing. Our Asbestos Fence & Shed Removal service regularly coordinates shared fence jobs so both sides are cleaned up at the same time and the fence can be replaced once.
How a storm clean-up works
In Victoria, removing more than 10 square metres of non-friable asbestos must be done by a licensed removalist, and storm damage often exceeds that across a fence line or roof. Broken and crushed material also takes more care than neat, intact sheets.
A typical storm job starts with an assessment of what is broken, how far it has spread and whether any of it has been crushed into a more friable state. The area is then set up, the broken sheets and fragments are wetted and collected by hand, and the surrounding ground is checked so pieces in the grass and garden beds are picked up rather than left. The waste is wrapped and taken to an EPA-licensed facility, and our EPA-Compliant Disposal & Clearance Certificates service explains the paperwork you receive afterwards.
Where a roof is damaged, the remaining sheets are often removed at the same time rather than patched, and our Asbestos Roof Removal & Colorbond Replacement service covers how that works and what it costs, indicatively around $40 to $100 per square metre for removal.
A chance to deal with it properly
Nobody wants storm damage, but it often forces a decision that was coming anyway. An old fibro fence or weathered asbestos roof was always going to need replacing, and once it is broken there is little sense in repairing it. Getting the whole item removed and replaced, rather than the broken section alone, usually works out better in the long run.
If a storm has damaged asbestos materials at your property, call us for an assessment. We will look at what has broken, explain the safe way to clean it up, and give you a written quote you can pass to your insurer.