美国有线新闻 CNN 气旋伊代肆虐非洲南部 灾区满目疮痍

 

Next today we're returning to South East Africa, where people in three countries are struggling after catastrophic weather events. Rain and flooding in the coastal¹ nation of Mozambique was only worsened when Cyclone² Idai made landfall on March 14th. Since then, it's been a race for rescuers to first locate where survivors³ are and then get them to safety. Yesterday officials estimated there were 10,000 people holding on to rooftops as the rain continued and the waters rose.

The International Federation⁴ of Red Cross says it's using helicopters and boats to rescue people as many as 1,000 per day in Mozambique alone. No one knows yet how many have been killed across the region, where the Category 2 cyclone stormed inland. An ambassador from Mozambique says as many as 350,000 lives are a??t risk. The emergency won't end when the rescue effort does. Water, electricity, medical services and major repairs will all be needed to confront this disaster.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Cyclone Idai slammed into South Africa late last week cutting across countries and devastating⁵ entire cities. Beira, a city of half a million in Mozambique, in the epicenter of the storm. Aid agencies say 90 percent of it is underwater. The cyclone slammed into the city with winds of up to 175 kilometers or 110 miles an hour, destroying hospitals and homes and killing⁶ untold⁷ numbers. Some help is already there. Search and rescue teams are working tirelessly to get people to safety.

The cyclone winds were bad enough, but the flooding is much worse, say aid officials, creating what they're calling an inland ocean and the threat will increase as more rains set in. Beira's airport is open, but roads into the city are cut off and phone connections mostly down. Outside of Beira, nobody knows how many people are dead or injured, cut off entirely⁸ from help. Idai's destructive path pummeled Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe with nearly 1.7 million people in its path.

Communities near Chimanimani, Zimbabwe are devastated⁹. The storm destroyed roads, homes, bridges and communication lines. The human loss is far greater. The true destructive power of Idai is only now being understood. And aid officials tell me that the next step is trying to get those rural people to safety. David McKenzie, Johannesburg.

1 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。

2 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

3 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

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 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。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。