美国国家公共电台 NPR The 2019 Hurricane Season Will Be 'Near Normal.' But Normal Can Still Be Devastating

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Federal storm forecasters say this year's Atlantic hurricane season will be near normal. As NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports, that still means a lot of potentially damaging storms.

REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE¹: Federal hurricane forecasters are predicting between nine and 15 named storms this year. That includes tropical storms. Two to four of those will become so-called major hurricanes, which means wind speeds capable of tearing the roof off a house. So yeah, Gerry Bell of the National Hurricane Center says don't be fooled by the term normal.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

GERRY BELL: Nine to 15 named storms is a lot. Four to eight hurricanes is a lot. Two to four major hurricanes is a lot. So the key message is we're expecting a near normal season. But regardless, that's a lot of activity. You need to start getting prepared for the hurricane season now.

HERSHER: At a press conference today, he and other federal weather officials repeated that warning over and over. Be prepared. It's a reaction to two years in a row of above-average damage from hurricanes - hundreds of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of homes wrecked². FEMA even sent someone to today's event to deliver a warning.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

DANIEL KANIEWSKI: My message today - it only takes one. It only takes one landfalling hurricane to cause great destruction to a community.

HERSHER: Daniel Kaniewski is a deputy administrator³ at FEMA. He focused a lot of his remarks on preparing for flooding. That's because even hurricanes with relatively⁴ low wind speeds can cause a lot of damage. Take hurricanes Florence and Harvey in the last two years. Both dropped record-breaking rain.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

KANIEWSKI: Flood insurance is not included in your homeowner's policy. You need to request it separately.

HERSHER: Forecasters did note that the El Nino climate pattern is happening this year. That usually means fewer hurricanes but not this year. This El Nino won't give the U.S. that break. That's because the water in the Atlantic and the Gulf⁵ of Mexico is warmer than average in part because the whole Earth is getting hotter. And hot water acts like an engine for hurricanes, fueling their creation and making them bigger and wetter. Together it all adds up to a normal year, and normal can be a real punch in the gut⁶. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

1 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。

2 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

5 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。

6 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。