Residents across Darwin and the Northern Territory are beginning the clean-up after Tropical Cyclone Fina battered the region with destructive winds and heavy rain over the weekend. The storm, which intensified to a category 4 system on Sunday afternoon, is the strongest to approach the capital since Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
Fina brought top gusts of 195km/h and sustained winds of 140km/h near its centre, tearing down trees, damaging homes, and cutting power to nearly 19,500 properties. Darwin airport recorded 168.6mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday. No serious injuries have been reported, but phone and internet services were widely disrupted.
Emergency shelters were opened in Darwin, Palmerston, and rural areas, with residents urged to stay indoors until Sunday afternoon when the warning was downgraded. The Royal Darwin Hospital experienced a partial ceiling collapse on Saturday, but no patients were affected, and the hospital has since returned to normal operations, according to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.
Kent Pedersen, a veteran of Territory cyclones, described the damage as the worst since Tracy. “Trees have come down in just about every yard, there is even a tree on a roof over there,” he said. PowerWater crews are assessing damage and restoring power, while Optus and Telstra work to repair mobile and internet outages, with some services expected offline until Tuesday.
The Tiwi Islands community of Wurrumiyanga bore the brunt of the storm, but Finocchiaro said overall preparedness had minimised impact. Schools are being inspected for a safe return on Monday, and residents are advised to remain cautious as clean-up continues.
