2006年VOA标准英语-New Orleans Residents Deal with Rebuilding

By Greg Flakus
New Orleans, LA
03 February 2006
 
watch Rebuilding report

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana currently has less than half its pre-Katrina population of around 500,000 people. Efforts to help people return are hampered¹ by a lack of housing and officials say it could take many more months to make many flood-ravaged areas habitable again.

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One New Orleans store's ruined merchandise  
  

Millions of dollars in merchandise is being cleaned out of stores in New Orleans because of mold.

But it is not just the merchandise; mold is often all over the interior of shops and offices.

That also holds true for private homes, thousands of which are uninhabitable even though they are structurally² sound.

 
One of thousands of uninhabitable houses in the Gulf³ coast hit by Hurricane Katrina 
  
In the New Orleans Uptown neighborhood, Brian O'Neill and a team of hired workers have gutted⁴ his house – tearing out everything but the supporting beams and outer walls. Even now, O'Neill faces the daunting⁵ task of eliminating toxic⁶ mold. He is especially concerned because his wife is pregnant with twins.

"That is one of my biggest concerns is bringing babies in here with that stuff,” he told us. “I don't know if I am over-reacting or not, but it is certainly an issue. There is certainly mold in there. Some people say you can clean it with bleach⁷, some people say it will never go away."

Making matters worse, many homeowners, like Brian O'Neill, are finding that insurance companies are not paying for the full cost of renovation⁸. Coordination⁹ of the entire recovery effort is carried out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA. 

 
Mark Misczak
  
FEMA supervisor¹⁰ Mark Misczak says surveys show that, in spite of the obstacles, most people in New Orleans and southern Louisiana want to return.  "I cannot say I am surprised. There is definitely a sense of home and community that people want to get back to,” he says. “I do feel, however, that people are currently being asked that question without a clear picture of what the total Gulf coast recovery is going to look like."

Mark Misczak says frustration¹¹ runs high and FEMA gets much of the blame, but he says the agency is making progress.

"More than $4.3 billion has been delivered directly to individuals and households, either a check that was issued to them or a direct deposit into their checking (bank) account." 
 

An instant community of trailers provided by FEMA  
  
FEMA has also provided hotel lodging¹² and on-site trailers or mobile homes for thousands of displaced people, although it estimates only 37 percent of those needing temporary housing in Louisiana have received it.

Residents still cannot return to areas that have no electricity, sewage or other basic services.

William Lord comes from Houston every week to work on his home in New Orleans East.

 
William Lord 
  
"A lot of people from the east [side of New Orleans] are waiting for the city to say when they can get permits for gas and electric,” says Mr. Lord, “and when they can just get the main city structures like sewage, water, power and stuff like that."

Some parts of the city may remain without such services for many months to come.

1 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

2 structurally   

在结构上

参考例句：

• The house roof was (structurally) unsound. 这屋顶（结构）不牢固。
• Pinhole on shot-hole damage is never structurally significant. 针孔和蛀洞所造成的危害对结构的影响不大。

3 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。

4 gutted   

adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏

参考例句：

• Disappointed? I was gutted! 失望？我是伤心透了！
• The invaders gutted the historic building. 侵略者们将那幢历史上有名的建筑洗劫一空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

6 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

7 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？

8 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

9 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

10 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

11 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

12 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?