VOA标准英语2008年-Relief Agencies Prepare for Floods in Central M

By Scott Bobb
Johannesburg
07 January 2008

Relief agencies are warning that heavy rains in Mozambique and neighboring countries are causing floods that already have killed six people and made 13,000 homeless. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa Bureau in Johannesburg.

The United Nations and the Mozambican government are preparing for a possible emergency in central Mozambique after the government issued its highest alert due to flooding in several areas.

A spokesman for the U.N. Childrens Fund, Thierry Delvigne-Jean, said thousands of people living along four rivers in central Mozambique are threatened by heavy rains which came one month early this year.

"It is too early to say. But if we look at the fact that the rainy season has started much earlier and the levels of waters are rising much more rapidly than last year, then we could face potentially more devastating¹ flooding," he said.

Flooding along the lower Zambezi River last February killed 45 people and made one-quarter million homeless. Cyclone² Favio, which struck the region around the same time, displaced another 140,000 people.

The head of Mozambique's Disaster Relief Agency, Paulo Zucula, said 60,000 people could be driven from their homes in the next few days, but that the situation has not reached the emergency level.

"Let us wait and see what is going to be the behavior of the river in the next couple of weeks," he said. "I think we will have to monitor the situation closely throughout this coming month."

Central Mozambique often experiences flooding, which usually peaks in February and March. But this year heavy rains in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi have affected³ four rivers, cutting off roads and disrupting river traffic.

Worried officials warn that water levels in some areas are approaching those responsible for devastating floods seven years ago that killed 700 people and displaced one-half million more.

But UNICEF's Delvigne-Jean says preparations for possible floods began earlier this year.

"The Mozambican government has started the evacuation much earlier and that is why, so far, we are seeing that the numbers are much lower," he said. "And if the rain does not start to fall too heavily, the government has the situation under control, so far."

The Mozambican government has also been trying to reduce the number of people affected by the seasonal⁴ floods by encouraging them to resettle permanently⁵ on higher ground.

The government has provided schools, clinics as well as water and sanitation⁶ facilities at some re-settlement areas. But experts say some villagers resist permanent resettlement because they are reluctant to leave their ancestral lands.

1 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。

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 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

5 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

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。