美国国家公共电台 NPR--Kentucky's flooding victims face years of rebuilding efforts

Kentucky's flooding victims face years of rebuilding efforts

Transcript¹

After record flooding at the end of July in eastern Kentucky, residents reported more than 10,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Many residents remain in housing limbo² as they apply for aid and rebuild.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It's been just over a month since record flooding left 39 people dead and thousands homeless in eastern Kentucky. From the Ohio Valley ReSource collaborative journalism³ project, Katie Myers reports that residents have years of rebuilding ahead.

KATIE MYERS, BYLINE⁴: Laverne Fields and her family still camp by the side of the road in Millstone, Ky. In late July, a week of intense storms turned her quiet mountain stream into a raging river. Over 6 feet of water swept her trailer from its foundation.

LAVERNE FIELDS: One of the men from FEMA told us - said, you guys are tough - because they said they couldn't live like this.

MYERS: Fields says there's no help from FEMA yet. Her trailer is still in the creek⁵, her things all over the yard. Now it's dusty, and there's little shade, and there's no relief in her camper.

FIELDS: It gets really hot in there. Me and the baby has breathing problems.

MYERS: Fields says she's on disability and needs oxygen. She runs a generator⁶ occasionally. There's no electricity or running water.

FIELDS: We bathe morning and night with wet wipes.

MYERS: Across 13 flood-ravaged counties, over 13,000 households have applied⁷ for FEMA aid, and that number is still rising. But just over half that number have been approved. There's still no official count of damaged homes or of people who are now homeless. Hundreds live in government-provided trailers, and they could be there for a long time. Kayla Morton is trying to make her peace with that.

KAYLA MORTON: We're all pretty positive about it. We understand the situation we're in.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Mommy.

MORTON: And we're OK with being here for a while.

MYERS: Morton lives with her toddler and husband in a camper in Carr Creek State Park. She passes the time by organizing activities for the kids. But she worries about them and about the cold that's coming.

MORTON: There's families here that have five and six kids living in a camper. You know, these kids are going to be stuck in here in the wintertime.

MYERS: Even those who've received aid are struggling to get cost estimates to FEMA. Contractors⁸ tell them to be patient.

DERENIA DUNBAR: They are so busy they have to put you on a list.

MYERS: Back in Millstone, the house Derenia Dunbar grew up in is stripped down to the studs, wet insulation⁹ and flooring removed. Her dad has black lung disease from years of working in the coal mines.

DUNBAR: You got to let it sit to make sure your mold don't go all the way, you know, up the stairs or anything 'cause Dad has breathing problems. We have to make sure that that is getting cleaned.

MYERS: In the town of Bulan, Terry Thies says she'll have to take out loans to rebuild the house she grew up in.

TERRY THIES: I'm 69, and I'm going to have to have a mortgage for the first time in my life.

MYERS: The house had never flooded before.

THIES: It didn't even come into the house. It never got any higher than that second step.

MYERS: Climate change means flooding here and across the country is getting more frequent and severe. Last month, Kentucky lawmakers passed a $213 million flood relief plan. It funds school districts and infrastructure¹⁰ repairs but not long-term housing.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDY BESHEAR: I know it's hard, but this is a several-year rebuilding project.

MYERS: Governor Andy Beshear says utility crews are working as quickly as they can to restore service to areas still without water and power. Most affected¹¹ schools will resume classes in late September. Hundreds more trailers are expected to arrive soon. Still, everyone interviewed for this story says they don't plan to move away.

DUNBAR: We're family here.

MYERS: For Derenia Dunbar and so many more in eastern Kentucky, connection to land and home goes back generations.

For NPR News, I'm Katie Myers in Whitesburg, Ky.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

3 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

6 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

8 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

10 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。

11 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。