美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden went to Puerto Rico to see what the island needed after Hurricane Fiona

Biden went to Puerto Rico to see what the island needed after Hurricane Fiona

Transcript¹

President Biden on Monday traveled to Puerto Rico to get an update on the recovery efforts after Hurricane Fiona hit the island a little over two weeks ago.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

President Biden stopped in Puerto Rico yesterday in the aftermath of a hurricane. NPR's Adrian Florido is still there and has an update on the recovery. Good morning.

ADRIAN FLORIDO, BYLINE²: Good morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: How's it coming?

FLORIDO: Well, I'll start with the islandwide power outage, which resulted from Hurricane Fiona a couple of weeks ago. A lot of the island now does have electricity. The government and the power companies say they're working to restore power to the last 7 to 10% of customers. The government is also working on wrapping up an initial assessment³ of the damage, which is expected in the next few days - the number of damaged roofs, flooded homes, washed-out roads and bridges, as well as other infrastructure⁴ that's going to need long-term repairs.

And meanwhile, in many communities in the countryside and in parts of some cities, including Ponce, where the president spoke⁵ yesterday, people are still in the dark, though. A lot of people don't have running water still, and a lot of older people are having to live through stifling⁶ heat without fans or electricity.

INSKEEP: I'm glad to hear about this, not happy to hear the news but glad to be informed, given that there's been Hurricane Ian and all these other events that could just wash this from our attention.

FLORIDO: Yeah.

INSKEEP: So it's good that you're there. But how satisfied are Puerto Ricans with the help they're getting so far?

FLORIDO: It's a mixed bag. Governor Pierluisi - Pedro Pierluisi - seems, you know, grateful for much of what the federal government has done so far. And he expressed that sentiment yesterday when President Biden arrived on the island. But he also made several requests of the president. He asked President Biden to authorize⁷ an additional six months during which the federal government will cover the cost of a lot of the emergency recovery work happening here. He also asked FEMA to open up its emergency supply warehouses⁸ to local officials because a lot of supplies are still being delivered to communities that don't have power or water.

You know, the governor also asked the federal government to speed up the completion of flood control projects, projects that would help prevent the kind of flooding that devastated⁹ so many communities during this hurricane.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PEDRO PIERLUISI: In short, my asks to you, Mr. President, are straightforward¹⁰. We want to be treated in the same way as our fellow Americans in the States in times of need.

FLORIDO: So the governor yesterday was clearly taking the opportunity to apply some pressure on President Biden while the world was watching and listening.

INSKEEP: I'm thinking of that phrase you used, speed up. Why do Puerto Ricans feel that time is of the essence here?

FLORIDO: I mean, they need repairs to the infrastructure to happen quickly. One of the vital lessons that officials on the island and residents of Puerto Rico have learned is that you've got to act fast after these disasters to repair infrastructure. The infrastructure from Hurricane Maria's damage in 2017, the repairs to that infrastructure has just - have just inched along, which is a big part of why Puerto Rico was so vulnerable when Fiona came along last month. And so if there's one thing people want, it's for recovery to happen quickly.

INSKEEP: What do you hear when you're away from the officials and the press conferences and just talking to people?

FLORIDO: As is often the case, you know, people have mixed opinions about the president's visit and the recovery. Some people are pleased, other people not so impressed. I spoke after the president spoke yesterday with Xiomara Marquez, who was loading her car up with trays of food to deliver to communities that still lack power and running water, and she told me she was upset with the president.

XIOMARA MARQUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).

FLORIDO: She said the president was only here for a couple of hours. He didn't visit any communities that were actually damaged, that she wished he had done that so he would have a better sense of how Puerto Ricans are faring after the storm.

INSKEEP: Adrian, thanks so much.

FLORIDO: Thanks, Steve.

INSKEEP: NPR's Adrian Florido is in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

7 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

8 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

9 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

10 straightforward   

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

• A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
• I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。