CNN 2010-06-27

This is the most devastated¹ area here in the town of Branquinha, located around next to the Mundau River, which broke its banks and flooded all of this area. Take a look at what's left of that building. That room there could have been a bathroom, could have been a kitchen, who knows, is just destroyed and all that's left are piles of mud and sand, some bricks, pieces of furniture. Very little that can be salvaged² and that's probably one of the reasons why the mayor here says that she doesn't really want people to rebuild, she would rather have people relocate to an area where this doesn't happen again.

Officials are comparing this catastrophe³ to a tsunami⁴, and this is why the flood came with such force that it tore off the railroad tracks from their base, leaving only twisted metal attached to wood beams.

These Brazilian soldiers have just finished stacking up supplies for the people in this town. They are using this church as a warehouse⁵ and they have brought bags of food containing beans, corn, oil, rice, sugar, some other necessities. There are also storing clothes and water for the people in this town.

Not only do people in this small community have to worry about food, water, basic necessities, where they will work or live, but also they worry about the missing, their friends and relatives. They wonder if they will ever see them again.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Branquinha in Brazil.
 

1 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。

2 salvaged   

（从火灾、海难等中）抢救（某物）( salvage的过去式和过去分词 )； 回收利用（某物）

参考例句：

• The investigators studied flight recorders salvaged from the wreckage. 调查者研究了从飞机残骸中找到的黑匣子。
• The team's first task was to decide what equipment could be salvaged. 该队的首要任务是决定可以抢救哪些设备。

3 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

4 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

5 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。