美国国家公共电台 NPR--Search efforts resume in Rolling Fork, Miss., after a devastating tornado

Search efforts resume in Rolling Fork, Miss., after a devastating¹ tornado²

Transcript³

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Yolanda Minor⁴, the Mississippi state director for the humanitarian⁵ aid organization Save the Children, about clean-up efforts following Friday's deadly tornado.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Now to the scene of that devastating tornado over the weekend. Rolling Fork, Miss., is the birthplace of blues⁶ great Muddy Waters. That fact is prominently displayed on a website that describes the history of the Delta⁷ and all of its many attractions. But those attractions are going to have to take a backseat, at least for now, to another event that is now also on the website, that tornado that leveled homes and businesses. At least 26 people were killed and dozens more injured. Search and recovery efforts are resuming this morning. President Joe Biden has authorized⁸ an emergency declaration for Mississippi, providing federal funds for the hardest hit areas.

Yolanda Minor is the Mississippi state director for the humanitarian aid organization Save the Children. We reached her in the city of Indianola to tell us more about what she's seen and heard over the weekend in Rolling Fork and nearby and what's needed there. Yolanda Minor, thanks so much for talking with us.

YOLANDA MINOR: Thank you so much for having me this morning. On arrival, the scene in person was heartbreaking. My thoughts immediately went to families, especially the children with their social-emotional well-being⁹. Their homes and communities were destroyed. They might not even know where their next meal is coming from, where their family and friends are. It is our goal to get this community and these families back to some normal routines.

MARTIN: Ms. Yolanda, let me just ask you a couple of things. First of all, I know you've been with the organization for a number of years now. How would you say this compares to previous disasters where you've rendered aid?

MINOR: This one, I will rank it at about a 10 because as I drove through, everything was flat. There were only, maybe, two buildings left. There were cars thrown everywhere. And literally¹⁰, families were sitting down side streets. And I can imagine the thoughts that were going through their mind.

MARTIN: And the Delta is where this deadly tornado hit. It's not an affluent¹¹ area. I think people understand that. And it's also pretty sparsely¹² populated. How does that affect the recovery efforts?

MINOR: It's kind of greatly affected¹³ because there were challenges with these communities prior to these tornadoes¹⁴. They lacked resources. They lacked transportation because of the distance from town to town. Now what it's going to take is community leaders coming together long term to help get this community back to the normal.

MARTIN: Now, your organization, Save the Children, as the name implies, I mean, you have children and families at the center. What would you say are the particular needs for the children right now?

MINOR: For the children, definitely, we need to get them back to normal, make sure that they're having some age-appropriate books, something to hold their attention - making sure they have shelter and food because if their basic, normal needs are not met, nothing else around them is going to matter. So just getting a little bit of normalcy back to the kids, maybe a toy. You know, I thought yesterday, if we can just get a toy in a hand of a child just to see their face light up after such devastation¹⁵.

MARTIN: Can I just ask you - because this is, like, as I said, such a sparsely populated area, are there any places for people to stay at all? Like, is there a community center? Are any of the churches or schools still standing¹⁶? Where are people going to stay, say, today?

MINOR: Well, they are going to neighboring towns and shelters have been opened. Old National Guard armories¹⁷ have been opened. The community is really opening up just to ensure that people have a place. But they are still needing things like air mattresses¹⁸, nonperishable foods and things like that.

MARTIN: So before we let you go, how - and thank you again for your hard work at a time like this. I'm sure it's very much needed. How long do you think this recovery will take, as briefly¹⁹ as you can?

MINOR: It will take a long time. And it's going to take community leaders coming together, pulling resources to ensure these children and families get back to normalcy. And that's what Save the Children does.

MARTIN: That's Yolanda Minor. She's the Mississippi state director for the humanitarian aid organization Save the Children. Yolanda Minor, thank you so much for talking with us.

MINOR: Thank you.

1 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。

2 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。

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 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

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 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

9 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

10 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

11 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

12 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 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

15 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 armories   

n.纹章( armory的名词复数 )；纹章学；兵工厂；军械库

参考例句：

• The armories were important in the World War II. 兵工厂在二战中是很重要的。 来自互联网
• Can only be used to open the door, such as churches and armories Colored door. 只能用来开门，例如血色的教堂和军械库的门。 来自互联网

18 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

19 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。