2006年VOA标准英语-Rescuers Search for Survivors of Ethiopia Flood

By Pearse Lynch
Nairobi
07 August 2006

Ethiopia and Eritrea

Rescuers are continuing to search for survivors¹, after flash floods on Saturday in eastern Ethiopia killed at least 200 people and left some 300 others missing. Ethiopia's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Office say it expects the death toll² to continue to rise. 

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Aid workers say they have joined residents around the town of Dire³ Dawa, 500 kilometers east of the capital, Addis Ababa, in a desperate search through mud and debris⁴ to find survivors, and to reclaim⁵ the bodies of those killed in the disaster.

The majority of the victims are said to be women and children, who were unable to escape from their poorly constructed shacks⁶ alongside the riverbanks.

As many as 10,000 people in the area are believed to have been left homeless.

On Monday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi visited Dire Dawa to offer condolences to residents. He promised that his government would do all it can to help survivors, and assist in the town's recovery and reconstruction⁷.

The banks of the Dechatu and Dire Dawa rivers burst late on Saturday night, sweeping⁸ away entire families as they slept in their homes. The flood has caused massive damage to electricity lines, and severed⁹ the main road link from the town of Dire Dawa to Addis Ababa, hampering¹⁰ relief efforts.

A representative from the International Committee of the Red Cross, Leonardo Gon?alves, visited Dire Dowa on Sunday. He says his organization is working alongside a special disaster committee that has been set up to look after the survivors.

"There are some emergency stocks in the Ethiopian Red Cross in Addis, and these emergency stocks can be immediately transferred to Dire Dowa, as soon as they have the exact knowledge of the needs," he said. "There are many homes that have been destroyed, they are still working on the numbers. And for the moment, I understand that, in some schools, people have been given refuge."

The lowland area of Ethiopia, near the border of Somalia, is a high risk area for flash floods in the rainy season, which lasts from June to September. Last year's floods claimed more than 200 lives and displaced over 260,000 people.

The floods follow a devastating¹¹ drought in East Africa, which had threatened the lives of 15 million people in five countries, including Ethiopia and in neighboring Somalia and Kenya.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

6 shacks   

n.窝棚，简陋的小屋( shack的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They live in shacks which they made out of wood. 他们住在用木头搭成的简陋的小屋里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most people in Port au-Prince live in tin shacks. 太子港的大多数居民居住在铁皮棚里。 来自互联网

7 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

8 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

9 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

11 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。