VOA常速英语2007-UN Launches Emergency Flood Appeal for Burkina F

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
26 October 2007

The United Nations is launching an emergency appeal for $5.4 million to help more than 90,000 flood victims in Burkina Faso.  The United Nations says these floods, the worst in decades, have caused widespread devastation¹ to peoples' homes, crops and livelihoods².  Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

More than 12 countries in East and West Africa have been hit by some of the worst flooding in decades.

The United Nations reports dozens of people have been killed and injured by the floods, 28,000 people have been made homeless and vast agricultural lands and crops have been washed away.

A U.N. spokeswoman, Elizabeth Byrs, says bridges, roads and other infrastructure³ have been damaged and will have to be rebuilt.

"We will have to use this money for the urgent needs related to livelihoods of the population and also rehabilitation⁴ of the basic services  - health centers, roads, bridges, sheltering people, reconstructing their houses," she said.

Byrs says Burkina Faso is entering the post-crisis period, which, in many ways, will be worse than the immediate⁵ aftermath of the floods. 

She says the rains will stop soon.  And this, she says is the time when aid agencies will have to carefully monitor health and sanitation⁶.

When the waters begin to recede⁷, she says there is a heightened risk of waterborne diseases, malaria⁸ and other illnesses.  She says aid workers will have to be on the lookout⁹ for the potential outbreak of epidemics¹⁰. 

"And this is a very critical period where we have to monitor carefully the situation for the most vulnerable - for children, for elderly," she added.  "Not only a problem of malnutrition¹¹ might appear, because they have lost their food stocks, but also with regard to the health situation of the most vulnerable." 

Byrs says many of the homeless people are living in schools and other public buildings.  But, she says most are staying with relatives and friends.  She says these host families are very poor and caring for the flood victims is a drain on their limited resources. 

She says money from the appeal also will be used to alleviate¹² some of the financial burden from these host families.

1 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

3 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。

4 rehabilitation   

n.康复，悔过自新，修复，复兴，复职，复位

参考例句：

• He's booked himself into a rehabilitation clinic.他自己联系了一家康复诊所。
• No one can really make me rehabilitation of injuries.已经没有人可以真正令我的伤康复了。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

7 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

8 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

9 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

10 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

11 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。

12 alleviate   

v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)

参考例句：

• The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻疼痛。
• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。