美国国家公共电台 NPR--California asks for federal assistance ahead of another wave of extreme storms

California asks for federal assistance ahead of another wave of extreme storms

Transcript¹

California is bracing² for more bad weather. The latest atmospheric³ river will bring warm air and rain, which could lead to rapid snowmelt and catastrophic flooding.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

All right. California's run of intense winter weather is not over.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The first of two atmospheric rivers is hitting the state today. Somewhere over the head of A Martínez, there's a high risk of flooding and landslides⁴ and avalanches⁵. And Governor Gavin Newsom wants President Biden to declare an emergency and release federal aid.

MART?NEZ: NPR's Nathan Rott is in Southern California. Nathan, before I drove in to NPR West, the skies looked like they were about to tear open at any moment. It looks like it could be a pretty big storm.

NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE⁶: Yeah, it definitely is. You know, we're talking about forecasts of more than 100 inches of snow at some mountain passes in the Sierra Nevada, upwards⁷ of 10 inches of rain in some parts of central California. It'll be a little tamer down here in southern California. But millions of people were put under flood watches Thursday in anticipation⁸ of this atmospheric river that's expected to really hit home today - atmospheric rivers being essentially⁹ giant conveyor belts of moisture that cart water from the tropics to places like California. This one is carrying water from near Hawaii. And what's unique about this storm and concerning is that it's expected to bring rain to areas that have already been inundated¹⁰ with snow.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, there are some mountain communities that are still trying to dig themselves out.

ROTT: Yeah, that's right. I mean, places like Big Bear, not far from where both of us are, which has been dealing¹¹ with blocked roads and power outages from that deep snow, but even more so in central parts of the state. You know, the concern there is, A, that rain could fall at pretty high elevations¹² onto some of these places that already are buried in snow. And so the problem that that could cause is this rain could be absorbed by the snow. And as any experienced driveway shoveler knows, wet snow is a heck of a lot heavier than dry. So it could add extra stress to structures that are still buried or trigger avalanches.

The other problem is potential runoff. Rain and warmer temperatures could help melt more of the snow, adding to these flood concerns. Here's Karla Nemeth, the director of California's Department of Water Resources, at a briefing yesterday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KARLA NEMETH: Rivers and creeks¹⁴ can rise very quickly, and so it does have the potential to be a dangerous situation, particularly in areas that had experienced flooding before.

ROTT: Which, if you remember, A, is a whole lot of California, as we've been seeing this year.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. So what are officials trying to do to lower those risks?

ROTT: So they're urging everyone who's experienced flooding this year, particularly those who live near a river or creek¹³, to be ready to go, right? The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation¹⁵ and California's Department of Water Resources have been strategically releasing water from reservoirs so that they can handle all of this incoming runoff, which is a kind of wild thing because just last year nearly all of California was in some state of drought, so letting go of water would have seemed unthinkable.

MART?NEZ: All right. So you mentioned the D-word, Nate. Anytime it rains in California, people want to know, is the drought over?

ROTT: I'm sorry, A, it is not. Groundwater reservoirs in much of California are still very much depleted¹⁶. Remember, people sucked so much water out of the earth in some parts of California during the heart of the drought that the ground actually sank. More broadly, though, if we step back, the megadrought plaguing California is also impacting much of the western U.S., and California depends on a lot of water from that broader region. So the good news is many parts of the West are seeing a wet year. Skiers are having a heyday¹⁷.

But this drought has brought to light some bigger fundamental issues about water in the western U.S. - the way that it's used, the way that it's allocated¹⁸, issues like the whole system being predicated on a presumption¹⁹ that there's more water available than there normally is. And even a really wet winter like we're experiencing right now - it does not address all of those concerns.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's Nathan Rott reporting from southern California. Nathan, stay dry.

ROTT: You as well, A.

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 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

3 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

4 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

5 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

8 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

9 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

10 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

12 elevations   

（水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升

参考例句：

• Weight of the crust changes as elevations are eroded and materials are deposited elsewhere. 当高地受到侵蚀，物质沉积到别的地方时，地壳的重量就改变。
• All deck elevations are on the top of structural beams. 所有甲板标高线均指结构梁顶线。

13 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。

14 creeks   

n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪

参考例句：

• The prospect lies between two creeks. 矿区位于两条溪流之间。 来自辞典例句
• There was the excitement of fishing in country creeks with my grandpa on cloudy days. 有在阴雨天和姥爷一起到乡村河湾钓鱼的喜悦。 来自辞典例句

15 reclamation   

n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收

参考例句：

• We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
• The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。

16 depleted   

adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Food supplies were severely depleted. 食物供应已严重不足。
• Both teams were severely depleted by injuries. 两个队都因队员受伤而实力大减。

17 heyday   

n.全盛时期，青春期

参考例句：

• The 19th century was the heyday of steam railways.19世纪是蒸汽机车鼎盛的时代。
• She was a great singer in her heyday.她在自己的黄金时代是个了不起的歌唱家。

18 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。

19 presumption   

n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定

参考例句：

• Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
• I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。