飓风马修已过半年 海地人仍在山洞度日

 

Roland Despeines looks for shelter inside a mountain cave when heavy rains fall in southwestern Haiti.

Despeines and many other Haitians have been taking shelter from storms in the cave since October 4. On that day, Hurricane Matthew destroyed their homes and changed their lives.

Food for the Poor is an aid group in the American state of Florida. Last month, its workers found that 240 people were spending nights in two caves.

The workers were searching for land to plant food crops, the aid group said. It called the situation a humanitarian¹ crisis². The group said the cave dwellers⁴ included 84 women and 62 children.

"Whenever the rain is about to fall, all of us come to stay here," Roland Despeines said. A VOA reporter visited the cave in late March and saw kerosene⁵ lamps and sheets made from tree leaves.

Jovenel Mo?se is Haiti’s new president. He and Prime Minister Jack⁶ Guy Lafontant also visited the caves at the end of March. They have promised to provide food and shelter.

The United Nations has reported that at least 70 percent of crops were destroyed in one area – the department of Grand’Anse.

"The children are crying all the time because they are hungry," Despeines said. " … When a vehicle comes to the area, the people run after it," hoping for food, he added. "If a car brings a bag of rice, we cook it right away, and it isn't enough to feed all of us."

A young woman named Bernie Josee also spoke⁷ about the problem of hunger. "Sometimes, visitors come to this area and they bring us food,” she said. “But this week, we have nothing to eat."

Some people were so hungry that they were eating poisonous plants, The Miami Herald⁸ recently reported.

Government workers and aid groups have provided food such as rice and beans to the Haitians. A low-cost government-operated restaurant is planned. And, Mo?se has ordered plans to build new homes.

The United States Agency for International Development provided emergency supplies such as plastic coverings after Hurricane Matthew hit. Also, it partnered with a local organization to pay workers for home repairs.

After the hurricane, the U.N. Development Program asked for $138 million in aid for Haiti. The agency has made two-thirds of its financial goal.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

cave - n. a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff or hill or under the ground

kerosene - n. a type of oil that is burned as a fuel — often used before another noun

sheet - n. a large piece of cloth that is used to cover something

dweller³ - n. someone who lives or stays in a special or particular place

hurricane - n. an extremely powerful and destructive rainstorm with very strong winds

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 dweller   

n.居住者，住客

参考例句：

• Both city and town dweller should pay tax.城镇居民都需要纳税。
• The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.城市居民从未经历过这种担忧。

4 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 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。

8 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。