美国国家公共电台 NPR--Arkansas residents clean up tornado damage while bracing for more storms

Arkansas residents clean up tornado¹ damage while bracing² for more storms

Transcript³

More tornadoes⁴ may strike across the U.S. this week, while residents in areas hit by last week's outbreak clean up and brace⁵ for more potential damage.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

More severe weather is expected to hit the U.S. this week. This after a series of destructive tornadoes and storms tore through parts of the South, Midwest and Northeast leaving more than 30 people dead. In Arkansas, residents are cleaning up. Daniel Breen from member station KUAR reports.

DANIEL BREEN, BYLINE⁶: Sounds of tornado and police sirens have now been replaced by the steady thrum of chainsaws and helicopters. Last week's EF3 tornado cut a roughly 30-mile path of destruction through central Arkansas, with the heaviest damage in the mostly residential⁷ neighborhoods of west Little Rock. Speaking about an hour after the storm, resident Ariel Gutierrez said she was caught off guard in the shower when the tornado hit.

ARIEL GUTIERREZ: It was just dark, so I just got out. I didn't know what to do. I heard a loud bang. I was like, what do I do? I didn't know where to run.

BREEN: Many details are still unclear, but five deaths have been confirmed in Arkansas. As many as 2,100 homes and businesses in Little Rock were in the tornado's path. The disaster response has been swift, with crews of volunteers cutting trees, riding overturned cars and helping⁸ residents pick up the pieces.

BECCA WEBB: We found pool cues in the dining room over here, and charcuterie boards that should have been in the dining room were in an upstairs bedroom. But, also, there was furniture and paintings on the wall that were completely undisturbed.

BREEN: Elementary school teacher Becca Webb said that while she was stuck in traffic trying to get to her father's home, someone helped clean it up for free without their even knowing it.

WEBB: All of this got chopped and stacked. All that brick got moved out of our way. I have no idea who did it.

BREEN: Her family had been on the fence about selling their home of 56 years, but Webb says it's time for a new story to be written after the rubble⁹ clears. She's hoping to take an insurance payout and sell what's left of her family's lot.

WEBB: I mean, it's where we gather for all of our holidays and everything. And so nobody was ready to bite the bullet and make a decision yet, but I guess we will now.

BREEN: President Biden has approved the state's request for a major disaster declaration, freeing up federal dollars for recovery efforts. Shelters are open through the week in Little Rock, but the National Weather Service says some of the same areas hit hard by the storm could face the potential for more severe weather later this week.

For NPR News, I'm Daniel Breen in Little Rock.

(SOUNDBITE OF LEGENDARY SKIES' "ALEUTIAN")

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 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 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 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

5 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

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 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。