美国国家公共电台 NPR--Thousands of flood victims are still missing in Democratic Republic of Congo

Thousands of flood victims are still missing in Democratic Republic of Congo

Transcript¹

NPR's Michel Martin talks to Jean-Claude Nzay of the humanitarian² group Corus International, about the flooding in Democratic Republic of Congo that devastated³ villages.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Rescue workers are digging through wreckage⁴ and mud in search of the dead in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Flooding last week has killed at least 400 people, but many thousands are still missing, so that number is sure to rise. The waters triggered mudslides that wiped out homes, crops and livestock⁵. For an update on the situation, I'm joined by Jean-Claude Nzay. He's with the humanitarian organization Chorus International. He is based in Goma, which is about 80 miles from where the worst flooding took place.

Welcome, sir. Thank you for joining us.

JEAN-CLAUDE NZAY: Hello, Michel. Thank you for having me on air.

MARTIN: The reports say that whole neighborhoods were wiped out. What are you hearing now from the villages that were affected⁶?

NZAY: More than 3,000 houses have been affected and more than 1,200 houses completely destroyed. Community members are still searching for their loved ones in the rubble⁷. As the search continues, as of yesterday, 415 people were confirmed dead and buried with the support from the local government. And the search continues at all the level in the community affected by the mudslide.

MARTIN: Are there any medical facilities or other facilities to treat people who are injured if they can be rescued?

NZAY: Currently, Nyamukubi and the Bushushu health centers have been directly affected. And the general hospital - I mean, plus the general hospital, that have hosted thousands of wounded people, but currently they are facing issues related to pharmaceuticals⁸ and other important medicines. And as we're talking with some of the local folks on the ground this morning, the need is still growing in terms of medical support. So we still assessing the situation on the ground with the support from the government to see how, like, humanitarian organizations and others might jump in and support those affected by the mudslide.

MARTIN: Do you have any sense of whether the government is a presence there yet at all or, for example, non-governmental organizations like yours? I understand that you are getting some reports. But really, is there any real presence there yet?

NZAY: Currently, we have a confirmation⁹ of the South Kivu government. And the national government representatives who've been in Kalehe provided some non-food items, and we don't have the details yet.

MARTIN: OK. Mr. Nzay, before we let you go, there's been flooding in both Rwanda and Uganda in recent days, too. I understand that more than a hundred people died in Rwanda. How common is this at this time of year in Central Africa, where you are, or is this unusual?

NZAY: Yes, this situation currently is unusual. We are tending to think that this is linked more likely to climate change issues. As of yesterday, we were still counting around 100 people dead. So this situation is seemingly increasing as we still in the rainy season. And with the rivers here and there being overflowed¹⁰, we are pretty sure that this situation is not going to end soon enough.

MARTIN: Jean-Claude Nzay. He's a program support specialist with the humanitarian organization Corus International.

Mr. Nzay, thank you so much for talking with us today.

NZAY: Thank you, Michel.

(SOUNDBITE OF ANTOINE MINOT'S "LARGO 'POETIQUE'")

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 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

3 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。

4 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

5 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

8 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

10 overflowed   

溢出的

参考例句：

• Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
• A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》