VOA标准英语2008年-Houston Braces for Hurricane Ike（在线收听）

Hurricane Ike is bearing down on the Texas coast with the fourth largest city in the United States squarely in its sights. Houston is preparing for the first direct hit from a major storm in 25 years. Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated Galveston island and areas close to the coast, but people farther inland are taking shelter and waiting for the high winds and torrential rains that are expected to hit most of southeast Texas. VOA's Greg Flakus has more on the story from Houston.
　
Image provided by NASA shows Hurricane Ike in Gulf of Mexico closing in on Texas coast, 12 Sep 2008

Large waves are crashing onto the beaches of Galveston Island under a darkening sky. Local officials are urging anyone who has not already left the coastal areas to get out now. Hundreds of thousands of people took that advice Thursday and vehicles moved slowly, but steadily up highways leading up from the coast through Houston and to destinations farther inland.

As officials conferred with meteorologists tracking Hurricane Ike early Friday they looked for signs that the eye of the massive storm might be moving up the coast away from Houston, as Hurricane Rita did in September, 2005. But Houston Mayor Bill White says this storm is coming right at the city.

"This particular hurricane took a turn towards the north, towards us, with fairly short notice, but now all the scientific models converge; the storm is coming here," White said.
　
Traffic lines Interstate 45 leaving Houston as Hurricane Ike approaches the Texas Gulf Coast , in The Woodlands, Texas, 11 Sep 2008

Federal and state officials are also on hand preparing for what is likely to be a major disaster. Federal officials are estimating $3 billion in damage to the area as the storm moves inland in the coming hours. The first danger is from the storm surge, which could be higher than 6 meters in some coastal areas. Experts say nine out of ten people killed by hurricanes are victims of the surge and flooding caused by the surge.

The next danger comes from high winds, which could be well above 100-kilometers-an-hour even after the storm comes over land and begins to lose strength. Heavy rains also pose a threat because the Gulf of Mexico waters will be so high that normal drainage will be curtailed.

Ike is currently a Category Two hurricane, although it could strengthen to a Category Three storm in the coming hours. Experts say the characteristic that makes it so dangerous is that it covers a wide area, bringing high water to virtually the entire Texas coastline, and threatening much of east Texas, parts of Louisiana and even some states to the north with flooding and wind damage.

Hurricane Ike has also closed down a large part of the US oil and gas industry. More than 700 platforms in the Gulf were evacuated earlier this week and companies operating refineries in the Houston area are also closing down operations. Around 25 percent of all US domestic oil production comes from the Gulf of Mexico and refineries in this area account for 23 percent of domestic oil-processing.

The hurricane is not expected to have much impact on New Orleans, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina three years ago. At that time thousands of evacuees from New Orleans found shelter in Houston. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says now is the time for his city to return the favor.

"I had a call into Mayor White this morning," Nagin said. "Our first responders and anything else he needs is at his disposal and we will be ready to go when he makes the call. This is our opportunity to say to our friends in Houston and Texas, that we want to take care of you, since you have taken care of us."

New Orleans has yet to fully recover from Katrina and has just over half the population it had before the hurricane. Images of Katrina's devastation are still fresh in the minds of people here in Houston and all along the Gulf coast as another monster storm approaches land.