美国国家公共电台 NPR--Alabama's governor issues a state of emergency for counties hit by tornadoes

Alabama's governor issues a state of emergency for counties hit by tornadoes²

Transcript³

Deadly storms hit Alabama before the start of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. A tornado¹ caused much damage in city of Selma, which played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Deadly tornadoes touched down in Alabama yesterday, leaving behind extensive damage and killing⁴ at least six people in the state, according to the local authorities. Alabama's governor has issued a state of emergency for counties impacted by the storms. One of the first cities the tornado hit is often in the news for other reasons. Troy Public Radio's Kyle Gassiott went to Selma after the storm passed and has this report.

KYLE GASSIOTT, BYLINE⁵: When I got to Selma, traffic was at a standstill. The storm had cut a path through town and closed some of the major intersections⁶. Usually, Selma has heavy traffic during the annual commemoration of the 1965 Bloody⁷ Sunday march. On that day, Alabama state troopers beat protesters, like the late Congressman⁸ John Lewis, as they marched for voting rights across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On Thursday, cars crowded the streets for a different reason. Some were driven by parents anxious to check on their kids and pick them up from school. Margaret Jones, principal of the Edgewood Elementary School, gets this.

MARGARET JONES: Today was - to sum it up in a nutshell, it was traumatic. It was a surprise.

GASSIOTT: Jones said they heard that some of the homes of their students have been destroyed. Downtown, traffic lights have stopped working, the power is out, and businesses and homes are leveled. The interim⁹ fire chief says his team conducted 30 rescues for people who were trapped. Victims' safety is on the mind of Emergency Services Director Toya Stiles Caruso. Her phone was out when her family tried to call her.

TOYA STILES CARUSO: But unfortunately, they did not get in contact with me. So my focus was on the citizens of Dallas County to make sure that they are safe.

GASSIOTT: But Caruso reassures¹⁰ me that her family is OK. The tornado has hit Selma the day before the start of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, a time that residents mark the birthday of the civil rights leader who spent a lot of time here. This weekend, in addition to the commemoration, they'll start the process of rebuilding.

For NPR News, I'm Kyle Gassiott in Selma, Ala.

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 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。

6 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句

7 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

8 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

9 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

10 reassures   

v.消除恐惧或疑虑，恢复信心( reassure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A significant benefit of Undo is purely psychological: It reassures users. 撤销的一个很大好处纯粹是心理上的，它让用户宽心。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Direct eye contact reassures the person that you are confident and honest. 直接的目光接触让人相信你的自信和诚实。 来自口语例句