美国国家公共电台 NPR--Missouri declares a state of emergency after record rain in St. Louis area

Missouri declares a state of emergency after record rain in St. Louis area

Transcript¹

The region is recovering after a massive storm dumped more than 9 inches of rain. People and animals are staying in makeshift shelters while the flash flooding recedes².

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Record-breaking storms drenched³ St. Louis on Tuesday, shattering a previous daily rainfall record set more than a century ago. Both state and local officials in Missouri have now declared a state of emergency. Sarah Fentem of St. Louis Public Radio reports.

SARAH FENTEM, BYLINE⁴: A lot of rain fell in the early hours Tuesday morning. National Weather Service meteorologist Lydia Jaja says the storm was also intense.

LYDIA JAJA: It's definitely unusual to see this amount of rain in this short amount of time.

FENTEM: More than 7 1/2 inches fell in just 6 hours. That much water overwhelmed the city's infrastructure⁵, turned highways into rolling rivers and stranded⁶ hundreds. Throughout the day, rescue workers used inflatable rafts to save people and pets from flooded houses and cars. Many have ended up at a handful of emergency shelters.

MARY TOLLER: I just grabbed what I could and got out of there.

FENTEM: That's Mary Toller. On Tuesday evening, she was wrapped in a pink blanket at a makeshift shelter in a St. Louis County rec center. Sitting next to her were two hastily packed suitcases. Early Tuesday morning, she saw water rushing into her basement apartment in North St. Louis County.

TOLLER: I did have an idea from the amount of water. I figured I wouldn't get back in there for months.

FENTEM: Toller escaped the apartment, but then got stuck in her car. After hours of wading⁷ in the flooded street, emergency workers finally arrived.

TOLLER: I have nothing. I'm not complaining. I'm not venting⁸. I'm just thankful that I got out of there and wasn't still asleep.

FENTEM: Toller hopes she'll be able to get to a friend's house or a hotel soon. Intense weather events like Tuesday morning's storms are becoming more common, says Claire Masteller. She's an Earth and planetary sciences professor at Washington University in St. Louis. She says the storm was a big, singular event, but also part of a trend.

CLAIRE MASTELLER: But that's connected to climate. So climate is sort of the integration⁹ of all of our weather events.

FENTEM: Masteller says as the planet gets hotter, warmer air holds more water, which is released as heavier downpours.

MASTELLER: We are, essentially¹⁰, supplying more fuel, which then, when these rainstorms happen, there's more water in the atmosphere that then falls as rain.

FENTEM: Meteorologists say the wet weather will continue through Thursday night.

For NPR News, I'm Sarah Fentem in St. Louis.

(SOUNDBITE OF LEGENDARY SKIES' "ALEUTIAN")

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 recedes   

v.逐渐远离( recede的第三人称单数 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• For this reason the near point gradually recedes as one grows older. 由于这个原因，随着人渐渐变老，近点便逐渐后退。 来自辞典例句
• Silent, mournful, abandoned, broken, Czechoslovakia recedes into the darkness. 缄默的、悲哀的、被抛弃的、支离破碎的捷克斯洛伐克，已在黑暗之中。 来自辞典例句

3 drenched   

adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
• The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

7 wading   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。
• The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。

8 venting   

消除； 泄去； 排去； 通风

参考例句：

• But, unexpectedly, he started venting his spleen on her. 哪知道，老头子说着说着绕到她身上来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• So now he's venting his anger on me. 哦，我这才知道原来还是怄我的气。

9 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。