Cyclone Fina knocks out power for thousands in Australia’s Northern Territory as destructive winds hit Darwin – Firstpost

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Thousands of people remained without power in Australia’s Northern Territory on Sunday as a tropical cyclone brought damaging winds overnight across the region, including the capital Darwin.

Category three Cyclone Fina was packing winds of 205 kilometers per hour (127 mph) on Sunday as it moved away from Darwin as a “severe tropical cyclone” after passing the city late Saturday, the country’s Bureau of Meteorology said.

For residents of Darwin, population about 140,000, Fina brought back painful memories of Cyclone Tracy, which destroyed much of the city on Christmas Day 1974, killing 66 people, in one of Australia’s worst natural disasters.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said about 19,000 people lost power due to Fina, which also caused property damage and flooded roads, but there were no injuries to residents.

“This cyclone saw a region that was united and prepared for what was to come,” Finocchiaro told a media conference broadcast from Darwin.

Authorities urged residents in the northern Garrison town of Darwin to stay away from downed power lines as crews began assessing the damage.

Darwin International Airport, which was closed on Saturday as a precaution due to Fina, said on Sunday it was “working to re-establish operations as soon as it is safe to do so”.

Category three tropical cyclones, two levels below the highest danger rating, typically damage structures, crops and trees and cause power failures, according to the weather bureau.

In March, ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred struck neighboring Queensland, closing schools and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)