2007年VOA标准英语-Hurricane Katrina Victims Still Rebuilding Live

By Malcolm Brown
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
23 August 2007
 

Nearly two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina devastated¹ swathes of the U.S. Gulf² Coast, including the vibrant³ city of New Orleans. Since then, some who fled the region have returned, while others have chosen to start anew elsewhere. Among those who elected not to go back is a tight-knit Vietnamese-American family that had been a fixture⁴ of the New Orleans restaurant scene. Malcolm Brown reports on the Cao family's attempts to rebuild a business, far from the city they know.

Anh-Thu Vu Cao

The Cao family is back in business, doing what it knows best -- turning out tasty Vietnamese food. It is something the Caos did for more than two decades in New Orleans, starting in 1981 when Anh-Thu Vu Cao started the first of what grew to be four restaurants. "New Orleans, I like as a city," she says. "First thing is the food; all good food over there and a lot of choice -- easy life."

That easy life came to an end when Hurricane Katrina wrecked⁵ the city and other Gulf Coast areas.

The Caos fled the advancing storm and ended up with relatives in the historic city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- almost 2,000 kilometers away.

The scenes, captured on a family video, when the Caos were allowed back into New Orleans in October 2005, dashed any hopes of a rapid recovery.

Vy Banh

Vy Banh -- Vu Cao's daughter and company president -- says it left the family with a painful choice. "If we would have put all our money back into the city right away, who knows what would happen to us? We could have easily went under. So, it was just, as a family decision, safer to start over here in Lancaster."  

Safer, yes, but not without considerable financial risk. Family members pooled their savings⁶ and bought a site, in a city they barely knew. With money tight, they did all the renovation⁷ work themselves.

Staff members who managed their own restaurants in New Orleans now wait tables, often working seven days a week. Banh says,  "It's been pretty rough. I mean, just getting used to living differently from what we were accustomed to."

For the older generation this is the second time they have started from scratch. Anh-Thu Vu Cao and her husband Chau fled their native Vietnam in 1975, just before the fall of Saigon. The family left behind a chain of restaurants started by her father.

The lifetime of experience is paying off again in their new location.

Dan Tran

Regular customer Dan Tran is of Vietnamese extraction himself and - coincidentally - was born in New Orleans. He sings the restaurant's praises. "We kind of knew who they were, what they had done in the New Orleans area and why they were here in the first place. So, I think for us that kind of helped us along to explore new places - a new restaurant with a new idea and got us in the door. Once we were in the door, we were pretty much hooked."

That verdict seems to be shared by the many repeat customers and obviously bodes⁸ well for the restaurant's future. There's even talk of a modest expansion. That said, they estimate that Katrina set their business back five years.

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

4 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

5 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 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。

8 bodes   

v.预示，预告，预言( bode的第三人称单数 )；等待，停留( bide的过去分词 )；居住；（过去式用bided）等待

参考例句：

• This bodes ill for the failure of the programme. 这是那项计划有凶兆。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This bodes him no good. 这对他是不祥之兆。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》