VOA标准英语2009年-UN Launches Emergency Appeal to Help Flood

By Kate Thomas
Dakar
21 September 2009

Three weeks after Burkina Faso was hit by devastating¹ floods, people in the worst-affected² areas are struggling to get back to normal.  

Eight people died when heavy rains swept through Burkina Faso in early September.  It was the heaviest rainfall in 90 years.

 
People displaced by flooding take refuge with their belongings³ at the Sacre Coeur School in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 02 Sep 2009
More than 50,000 people are living in temporary accommodations in churches and office buildings and another 40,000 are staying with host families.

Others have taken shelter in primary and secondary schools, but the new school year begins October 1st and many of the displaced have been asked to leave, as teachers return to their schools in preparation for the resumption of classes.

Landlocked Burkina Faso is more accustomed to dry, dusty weather and droughts than prolonged bouts⁴ of rain, so when 30 centimeters of rain lashed⁵ the capital, Ouagadougou, in a period of 12 hours last month, most homes were not equipped to deal with the consequences.

Houses and bridges were washed away, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.

The Burkinabe government has granted permission for people to rebuild their homes in non-affected areas, but funds are short.

The United Nations has launched an emergency appeal for $18.4-million to help flood victims in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest countries in Africa.

The U.N. Coordinator⁶ in Burkina Faso, Babacar Cissé, said the worst of the flooding is over, but there is still an urgent need for food security and healthcare in Ouagadougou and other affected regions.

There are fears there will be a spike⁷ in waterborne diseases, as the rainy season draws to a close and the weather becomes warmer.

The United Nations says 160 people have died as a result of recent floods in West Africa.  The aid agency Oxfam has launched an appeal to improve the situation in Mali, where late rains and subsequent floods have killed at least two people.

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 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。

3 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

4 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。