Darwin and surrounding areas are cleaning up after Tropical Cyclone Fina battered the region with winds of up to 195km/h and torrential rain, causing widespread damage and power outages. The storm, which intensified to a category 4 system on Sunday, is the strongest to approach the Northern Territory capital since Cyclone Tracy devastated the city in 1974.
No serious injuries have been reported, but nearly 19,500 homes and businesses lost power, and phone and internet services were disrupted. Emergency shelters were opened in Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas, with residents urged to stay indoors until authorities advised they could leave for essential purposes on Sunday afternoon.
Fina brought down trees, damaged fences and powerlines, and caused a ceiling collapse at Royal Darwin Hospital, though no patients were affected. The hospital, already under a code brown due to staff shortages, has since returned to normal operations, according to Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro.
The Tiwi Islands community of Wurrumiyanga bore the brunt of the storm, with many homes damaged. PowerWater crews are assessing damage and working to restore electricity, while Optus and Telstra are repairing mobile and internet outages, with some services expected to be offline until Tuesday.
Residents like 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. Schools are assessing whether it is safe to reopen on Monday.
