美国国家公共电台 NPR--极端暴风雪肆虐给数百万美国人带来冰冻的雨雪

Storm brings freezing rain and snow to millions of Americans

Transcript¹

As a winter storm moves across the United States, Memphis, Tenn., has been one of the hardest hit places. Nearly a third of the Memphis areas lost power.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

For millions of Americans today, the national news is right outside their windows, and for some, it's even inside the house. A winter storm hit much of the country's midsection, and we're told that more than 250,000 households lost power, from Texas up to Maine. Earlier, we reached Christopher Blank, news director of WKNO, in one of the hardest-hit spots of the country Memphis, Tenn.

CHRISTOPHER BLANK, BYLINE²: I am one of the 135,000 people to lose power, yes.

INSKEEP: In the Memphis area - so I mean, like, is it cold where you are? Do you have heat at least?

BLANK: Well, it's warm here at the radio station.

INSKEEP: (Laughter).

BLANK: I will say that it's colder elsewhere.

INSKEEP: Well, that's good to know. The equipment inside a radio station does tend to heat things up - all the big production boards and so forth³. So what caused such a major outage?

BLANK: Well, the short answer is trees. This is a city of trees. And yesterday afternoon, they became encased in ice, and then some wind came. And at one point, my neighbors and I were just standing⁴ outside watching massive limbs crash down one after another. And as a homeowner surrounded by 100-year-old oak trees, I can honestly say that I have never been more afraid of them.

INSKEEP: I imagine so, as you're watching that happen. What do you think made the effect of this storm worse than people might have anticipated?

BLANK: Well, you know, we call ourselves the Mid-South here. You would think that a Midwestern city would be used to something like this. But when ice happens here, we kind of act like it's not supposed to. You may remember that last year's big winter storm caused some major power outages in Texas, but that wasn't the problem here. Here, we didn't have water. And that's because the city's pumping stations froze up, and miles of pipelines⁵ burst. And it took more than a week to get fresh drinking water. This year we have water, but no power. So cold weather is basically our kryptonite.

INSKEEP: Does this - as people observe this - suggest a lack of preparation by the utilities?

BLANK: Well, you know, because it only snows or freezes a few times a year around here, normally, things just shut down for a day or two. But two years in a row now - people are starting to wonder if this could be the new normal with climate change. But also, I have to say that there is this user side of public services, especially here in the South. Nobody expects frozen bridges. But because of that, we had a 16-car pileup on one end of town, and on the other, a tractor trailer jackknifed and shut down one of the Mississippi River bridges for a few hours. So it's a big mess.

INSKEEP: So you're camping at the radio station until your power comes back on. Other people are doing whatever they can. How long are the outages expected to last?

BLANK: Well, our public utility, Memphis Light, Gas and Water, warned us yesterday afternoon that this was not going to be a quick fix. There are 50 crews working 16-hour shifts. It could take through Sunday to get the power back. And in the meantime, schools and colleges are closed. A number of flights have been canceled. And even FedEx, which is headquartered here, said that some packages could be delayed.

INSKEEP: Christopher, thanks for the update, and hope you're able to stay warm.

BLANK: Thank you, Steve.

INSKEEP: Christopher Blank is the news director and a temporary resident of WKNO in Memphis, Tenn.

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 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。