Dundee Beach bracing for Tropical Cyclone Fina

As the Territory braces for Tropical Cyclone Fina a community south of Darwin is preparing as best as they can despite having no shelter.

Dundee Beach

A Dundee-based business woman has said she’s as best prepared as she can be ahead of Tropical Cyclone Fina, but has concerns for her community that remains without a cyclone shelter.

The system will reach Dundee Beach after crossing through Darwin and past the Tiwi Islands with a possibility it could intensify to a Category 3 at that stage.

Anglers Choice Fishing Safaris director Emma Cartwright said they had prepared for the storm as best as they could but with several buildings in the area not up to code, there remained concerns.

“It’s one of the only communities we know in the Northern Territory that doesn’t have a cyclone shelter,” she said.

Emma Cartwright. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“For us, we’re very prepared, everything in our property is built to code which is convenient being in a place like Dundee where not every building is.

“We’ve got a really big boat shed that’s a really secure place but other people are finding locations further inland or sharing sheds.

“That takes a good deal of the worry out of it, but quite often it could be the neighbour’s tree or fence so it’s not just about your own property, but neighbouring properties as well.”

Ms Cartwright advised people to take the storm seriously and to triple check their properties for anything that wasn’t tied down that could turn into a missile.

“We always take cyclones seriously and there’s a lot of talk about it being a November cyclone which leave a lot of uncertainty,” she said.

“We’re very blessed that we did a big end of year clean up recently so we were pre-prepared.

“It comes down to all those extra things that you don’t think will become a missile that do become a missile.

“It’s about thinking outside the square and what we take for granted in terms of what we think is going to be okay because they will surprise you like heavy pot plants.

“It’s about strapping things together, tightening things and making items heavier, or keeping an eye out for low lying branches.”