VOA标准英语2010年-Red Cross Appeals For $100 Million For

The International Federation¹ of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is appealing for $100 million for Haiti.  The appeal covers emergency relief and long-term recovery assistance for 300,000 people over the next three years.

The International Red Cross Federation says its most immediate² concern is to get lifesaving emergency aid to hundreds of thousands of survivors³ of Haiti's catastrophic earthquake. 

But Red Cross spokesman, Matthew Cochrane, tells VOA, the needs of people go beyond the immediate emergency response and that is what its $100 million appeal is meant to address.

"Lives have been absolutely destroyed.  Houses have been destroyed.  Community infrastructure⁴ has been absolutely destroyed and we are very much committed to being involved in the rebuilding of Haiti once the relief operation winds down in six to nine months," he said. 

Cochrane says the Red Cross is making progress in getting together all the elements needed to scale up its humanitarian⁵ operation.  In the past couple of days, he says two planes carrying 22 tons of aid landed in the Haitian capital, Port au Prince. 

He says a convoy⁶ of aid supplies, including a 50-bed field hospital, and disaster experts arrived overland from the Dominican Republic. 

He says the earthquake victims are in desperate need of food, water, medical assistance and shelter.  In the coming weeks, he says the Red Cross will concentrate much of its effort on providing clean water.  He says this is crucial to reduce the risk of waterborne and water-related diseases. 

"Dysentery, diarrheal diseases.  These were threats that were probably with the Haitians even before the earthquake," he said.  "Now that this damage, that last bit of infrastructure, that last bit of social support, there are huge concerns that we will see outbreaks of entirely⁷ treatable and preventable, but nevertheless, very deadly illnesses.  And, so that has to be a focus," he said. 

Up to now, international aid operations have been centered on the capital, Port-au-Prince.  But, little attention has been given to the outlying areas because of the difficulty of reaching them. 

Cochrane says the Red Cross has some preliminary assessments⁸ of the severity of the damage caused by the earthquake in three places.  He says aid workers report between 80-90 percent of the town of Leogane has been destroyed.

In Gressier, up to 50 percent of the town has been destroyed and in Carrefour, he says there are reports of people still being trapped in collapsed buildings

1 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。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

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 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

7 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。

8 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句