People with green waste are being asked to bundle branches and leave them on their verge for collection.

The City of Palmerston Council, City of Darwin and Litchfield Council have different arrangements in place for green waste disposal.

It’s also part of a measure to encourage motorists to stay off the roads while downed power lines are made safe and debris is removed from roads.

“The lack of electricity has had an impact on traffic lights,” Regional Controller Warren Jackson said.

“We only have about half of them working across the region.

“This hasn’t been helped by the fact that someone has stolen one of the generators being used to power traffic lights.”

Batchelor and Adelaide River are also affected by the power outages.

“It may take some time to restore electricity to nearly 26,000 homes affected because of the damage caused by the destructive Category 2 winds,” he said.

TC Marcus also damaged pipes, prompting the Department of Health and Power and Water Corporation to issue a boil water alert, which will be in place until further notice.

“Public schools and non-essential government buildings will be closed tomorrow,” Regional Controller Jackson said.

“That decision has been made because of the boil water alert, damage to buildings and power lines and the limited public transport options that will be available tomorrow.

“People should liaise with non-government schools and companies to find out if they will be open.”

Anyone requiring Emergency Service assistance should call 132 500, or 000 in a life-threatening situation.

Updates will be provided by SecureNT as they become available: https://securent.nt.gov.au/

The Bureau of Meteorology says 

·         During the next few days Darwin and the Top End will see a return to mainly afternoon showers and storms

·         By mid-week, we expect to see the monsoon trough redevelop over water north of the NT coast

·         When the monsoon trough is over water there is a good chance that a tropical low will develop

·         A tropical low may develop anywhere along the monsoon trough from the middle of next week - the focus may be either the eastern or western Top End

·         Environmental conditions are generally favourable for intensification of tropical lows into tropical cyclones

·         When we have an identifiable tropical low, we will start to look at the direction it may track, as well as the likelihood of development into a tropical cyclone

Tropical Cyclone Marcus has weakened to a category one cyclone but is still bringing roaring winds and heavy rain to Western Australia's Kimberley coast.

People are being warned to remain in shelter as a cyclone red alert remains for coastal and island communities from and including Kalumburu to Mitchell Plateau.

A yellow alert extends from the Mitchell Plateau to Cockatoo Island, while a blue alert is in place from Cockatoo Island Beagle Bay but not including the town of Derby.

Tropical Cyclone Marcus is expected to intensify back into a severe tropical cyclone once it passes over the water on Monday.

Wind gusts of up to 120 km/h are predicted to continue for the rest of Sunday as the tropical cyclone passes over the far north Kimberley.

These winds will become confined to coastal parts between Mitchell Plateau and Cockatoo Island and may extend as far south as Beagle Bay during Monday.

Heavy rain and flooding in low-lying areas is also likely over the next 48 hours and several roads have been closed.

The Bureau of Meteorology predicts the cyclone should move off the coast on Monday morning, but it is unlikely to move far enough south to impact Broome and Derby.

Tropical Cyclone Marcus battered Darwin on Saturday, as 130km/h winds brought down trees and power lines.

NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner said there were no reports of injuries by midday on Sunday, but added that "it feels too good to be true".

"People were prepared. They did shelter and I think we saw what nature can do," he said.

Emergency services have moved quickly onto the clean-up with weather reports suggesting monsoonal activity could hit the region during the week.

"The best thing we can do is ensure everything is secure, so that's our focus at the moment," NT Emergency Services Chief Officer Jason Collins said.

He warned people to take appropriate precautions when cleaning up around their properties, particularly steering clear of power lines.

"We cannot guarantee they will be made safe as yet. Most will be, but we cannot guarantee it at the moment," he said.

"If you see a line down or in an unusual position, treat it as live."

Power and Water Corporation has received more than 400 reports of fallen power lines, leaving 25,000 properties without power.

"We'd like to advise our customers that the extent of the damage means it could potentially take several days to fully restore services to some areas," the company wrote on Twitter.

Schools will be closed on Monday while Mr Gunner has urged businesses who can stay closed to do so. The public service will run on a skeleton staff.

"Please look after yourself, your staff and families. If you don't need to open, don't open," Mr Gunner said.

Australian Associated Press