美国国家公共电台 NPR--After knocking out Cuba's power grid, Hurricane Ian takes aim at Florida

After knocking out Cuba's power grid¹, Hurricane Ian takes aim at Florida

Transcript²

Nearing the Florida Gulf³ Coast, Hurricane Ian is now a Category 4 storm. Forecasters call it an extremely dangerous storm with the potential for catastrophic winds and a life-threatening storm surge.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Hurricane Ian has not yet made landfall on Florida's west coast, but already, some people are without power.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The hurricane is now a Category 4, and it's on track to hit Florida's Gulf Coast today, with winds of 140 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center is predicting life-threatening storm surge. Communities like Sanibel, Fort Myers and Sarasota may see a storm surge of 8 to 12 feet. And 2 1/2 million people are under evacuation orders in several Florida counties.

MARTIN: NPR's Greg Allen is with us now from St. Petersburg, where he's tracking the storm.

Hey, Greg.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE⁴: Hi, Rachel.

MARTIN: So these are sobering warnings. And it's now a Category 4. Have people in the most vulnerable areas been evacuated⁵ at this point?

ALLEN: It appears largely so at this point. A steady stream of traffic was heading north all day yesterday. Emergency managers ordered evacuations in these low-lying coastal⁶ areas. And people don't have to go far - just a few miles inland. Although, I think many people just want to get away as far as they can.

MARTIN: Right.

ALLEN: When I drove around neighborhoods in St. Petersburg in the evacuation zone late yesterday, I really couldn't find very many people around at all. There were a few businesses still open, though. At one 4th Street Pizza, owner Phil Singleton was feeling upbeat because Ian's track has shifted east, likely sparing Tampa Bay from a direct hit. I asked him if he feels like his home is safe.

PHIL SINGLETON: Well, I am on the water, and I did not at all for a long time. But then today, as it continues to track east, if that does hold course, then we should be OK. But if it doesn't and comes north and hits us, then I'm going to be flooded. There's nothing I could have done.

ALLEN: A 4- to 6-foot storm surge is still expected here. And combined with heavy rain - up to two feet in some places - flooding is still expected.

MARTIN: It's so hard for people because the track of the storm could change - you know? - and there's nothing they can do about it. What are the potential effects of a storm this large in this area?

ALLEN: Well, it's so large, it's going to have impacts on really most of the state - almost all of it. The National Hurricane Center says it's - Ian has strengthen as it's approached the coast. High winds are going to cause major damage as it comes ashore⁷, toppling trees, knocking out power and likely cellphone service in some areas. And officials are warning, if there's a lot of damage from flooding and downed trees, restoring power may take some time. Of course, the bigger concern is storm surge 'cause, historically, that's what causes the largest loss of life in a hurricane.

MARTIN: Yeah.

ALLEN: And it can lead to billions of dollars in flood claims. Meteorologists are warning that there's going to be this heavy rain. And that will pose a risk to communities that are far from the coast that might get extensive flooding. In Orlando, Disney and Universal are shutting their theme parks today and tomorrow because of concerns about the storm.

MARTIN: What's the state government's response to this been thus far?

ALLEN: Well, Governor Ron DeSantis has been holding several briefings each day, updating people on the storm and the risks they face and how the state's responding. It's a much different tone than we've seen over the last year, when he's kept up this steady drumbeat of criticism of the Biden administration. DeSantis, of course, is a likely Republican presidential candidate. DeSantis said FEMA and the Biden administration quickly approved his request for a disaster declaration, and he was appreciative⁸.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

RON DESANTIS: So we feel like we have a good relationship with FEMA. You know, I'm happy to brief the president if he's interested in hearing what we're doing in Florida. You know, my view on all this is like, you know, you got people's lives at stake. You got their property at stake. And we don't have time for pettiness. We got to work together.

ALLEN: The White House said the two men spoke⁹ last night and committed to continued close cooperation. So they are working together, and we're getting ready for this storm.

MARTIN: NPR's Greg Allen in St. Petersburg.

Thanks, Greg. Take care.

ALLEN: You're welcome.

1 grid   

n.高压输电线路网；地图坐标方格；格栅

参考例句：

• In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下，要用载体把格栅密封起来。
• Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。

2 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。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

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 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

8 appreciative   

adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的

参考例句：

• She was deeply appreciative of your help.她对你的帮助深表感激。
• We are very appreciative of their support in this respect.我们十分感谢他们在这方面的支持。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。