Northern Australia cleans up after cyclone

Sydney, Australia: Residents of Australia s Northern Territory were clearing streets on Sunday after a damaging tropical cyclone that brought intense...

Sydney, Australia: Residents of Australia's Northern Territory were clearing streets on Sunday after a damaging tropical cyclone that brought intense winds overnight, tearing up trees and traffic lights and cutting power.

Tropical Cyclone Fina loomed off the coast of the Northern Territory for several days before rapidly strengthening to a Category 3 storm.

It swept on Saturday night between the busy city of Darwin and the sparsely populated Tiwi Islands -- an archipelago about 80 kilometres (50 miles) off the coast -- where wind gusts reached 110 kilometres per hour.

The "very destructive core" of the cyclone has moved away from the Northern Territory, but heavy rain and winds will persist Sunday, Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines said.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said about 19,000 homes and businesses had lost power in the past 24 hours and efforts were being restore it.