Cyclone Ingrid rages towards Darwin

DARWIN - Darwin was on high alert last night as Cyclone Ingrid continued its fierce march across Australia's top end after devastating the tiny community of Croker Island.

Darwin, which only months ago marked the 30th anniversary of the death and destruction Cyclone Tracy delivered, was braced for the arrival of a storm of equal power.

Category-four Ingrid, having thrown her fury at the community of Croker Island, was heading for the Tiwi Islands, 80km north of Darwin.

The Bureau of Meteorology remained hopeful Darwin would escape a direct hit, but expected gales of up to 120km/h to buffet the city from late last night.

"If it continues the current track through the Cobourg Peninsula ... Darwin will just be grazed by the southern edge," forecaster Graeme King said.

On Croker Island, off the Northern Territory coast, residents spent a terrifying night in community shelters as the storm tore apart a school building, the island's only store, and damaged half of its 60 houses.

About 40 of the island's 200 residents who hunkered down at the school emerged yesterday afternoon to find the entire top storey of a neighbouring building gone.

Margaret Barnes, head of the island's Minjilang community council, said: "We've got 50 per cent of houses with damage, major and minor. We have no power, we've got road damage, and cars have been wrecked and trees shredded."

Central Region Police Commander Kate Vanderlaan, based on the mainland, said there was enough food and water to last two days, but emergency supplies were needed.

- AAP