Superstorm Sandy smashes U.S. eastern coast

 Superstorm Sandy smashes U.S. eastern coast

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Superstorm Sandy has killed at least 29 people and knocked millions out of power across the densely¹ populated U.S. east coast, leaving streets flooded, houses burned and a levee collapsed² by Tuesday morning.

Sandy, which made landfall in New Jersey³ early Monday evening and combined with winter storms to become a hybrid⁴ storm, has impacted 15 states. Sandy so far killed at least 29 people in eight states, according to CNN report, including 15 in New York and three in New Jersey, two of the hardest-hit area overnight. Other U.S. media outlets⁵ even put the death toll⁶ up to 33 to 35.

The death toll has risen to 10 and may continue to rise in the largest city of the country, New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday at a press conference.

"This was a devastating⁷ storm, maybe the worst that we have ever experienced," said Bloomberg.

About 7 to 8 million customers across eight states have been knocked out of power by the superstorm, according to U.S. media reports.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared "a major disaster" in the states of New Jersey and New York, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local recovery from Sandy.

West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin later announced that his request for a presidential emergency declaration for the state has also been granted.

A huge fire burned about 80 to 100 houses in a flooded community in Queens of New York city on Tuesday, leaving three people injured.

Surging waters driven by the fury of superstorm Sandy breached⁸ a levee in the state of New Jersey on Tuesday, forcing evacuations, local authorities said.

Obama on Tuesday called 13 governors and seven mayors from across the storm affected⁹ area, to express his concern for residents who have been and continue to be impacted by Sandy and his sadness over the loss of lives, said the White House.

Earlier Monday morning, he has got updated about superstorm Sandy's track and impact in the White House. The president told his team that the top priority was to "make sure all available resources are being provided to state and local responders as quickly as possible."

Obama also urged Americans to continue to follow the direction and advice of local officials, governors and mayors.

Heading into the final week before Election Day, U.S. President Barack Obama has to cancel Wednesday's campaign events in order to focus on the rescue and response efforts for deadly and devastating superstorm Sandy, said the White House spokesman on Tuesday.

Obama will remain in the capital on Wednesday to monitor the response to superstorm Sandy and ensure that "all federal resources continue to be provided to support ongoing¹⁰ state and local recovery efforts," said White House spokesman Jay Carney in a statement on Tuesday.

That means Obama has to cancel his planned appearance in campaign events in key swing state Ohio on Wednesday.

The incumbent¹¹ is balancing between his job and the home stretch of his re-election campaign. Due to deteriorating¹² weather conditions, Obama has already canceled planned campaign events for Monday and Tuesday to stay in the capital and closely monitor the impact of the potentially deadly hurricane.

Speaking after a televised statement on Monday noon, Obama told reporters that the campaign was not top priority now and he was not worried about the impact of the storm on his re-election bid.

1 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

2 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

5 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 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。

8 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。

9 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。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

12 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。