A tropical cyclone struck Australia’s Northern Territory overnight, uprooting trees and traffic lights and knocking out power to thousands.
Residents began clearing roads on Sunday after the cyclone brought strong winds to nearby areas, including the territory’s capital Darwin.
Cyclone Fina strikes northern Australia with devastating winds
Fina lingered off the coast of the Northern Territory for several days before intensifying into a Category 3 typhoon.
On Saturday night, it passed Darwin and the Tiwi Islands with wind gusts of up to 110 kilometers per hour.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology called it a “severe tropical cyclone”.
By Sunday, Fina moved away from Darwin with winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour.
Cyclone knocks out power in Darwin
Fina struck Darwin – a busy city of about 140,000 residents – damaging property and inundating roads, but no injuries were reported.
About 19,000 people in the city were left without power.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said efforts were being made to restore power.
“In true regional spirit, neighbors are bringing chainsaws and everyone is joining in,” the regional chief said amid cleanup efforts.
Australian media reported that part of the roof of the city’s major Royal Darwin Hospital collapsed during the storm.
Meanwhile, Darwin International Airport reopened on Sunday after being forced to cease operations on Saturday.
Darwin was the site of one of Australia’s worst natural disasters, when Cyclone Tracy destroyed much of the city on Christmas Day 1974, killing 66 people.
“This cyclone saw a region that was united and prepared for what was to come,” Finocchiaro told media on Sunday.
Where is Cyclone Fina headed next?
Fina is now moving away from the coast towards Western Australia.
Weather forecasters say it could strengthen into a Category 4 storm.
However, weather officials said on Sunday that Fina was unlikely to make landfall and the storm would gradually dissipate over the next few days.
Edited by: Sam Dusan Inayatullah