2005年NPR美国国家公共电台九月-Tracing a Hurricane at the National Hurri

When a hurricane heads toward¹ the US coastline, all eyes turn to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It’s the official source for information on how powerful a hurricane is, where it’s heading and when it will hit. Emergency planners depend on the center to decide where to order an evacuation. If the forecasters there get it wrong people may die. NPR’s John Hamilton has been reporting from the center for the past few days. He filed this report on the events there in the final hours before Rita struck the Gulf² Coast this morning.

The Hurricane Center works³ in six-hour’s cycles. The crucial⁴ cycle for Hurricane Rita begins at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday. Ed Rappaport/ is the center’s deputy⁵ director, by that time he has already been at the center for nearly 12 hours.

We aren't over time yet.

As Rita gets closer to land, one of Rappaport’s jobs is to make hourly statements to the media.

Good afternoon. This is the 5 p.m. Eastern Time Update on Hurricane Rita, also corresponds⁶ to 4 p.m. Central Time. Rita remains⁷ a very dangerous hurricane still category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Maximum winds remain at 125 miles per hour.

Each forecasting cycle begins with data. These days a lot of it comes from small radio transmitters dropped by airplanes into the hurricane itself. They report their speed and direction as they fall. Tiny changes in these readings can signal that the storm is changing its path or intensity⁸. So far Rita has been heading straight for the Texas-Louisiana border. But sometime after 6 p.m. Rappaport tells the reporter he is worried that could change and expose major cities to a storm surge⁹ of 15 feet or more.

The problem we have of course is that these tracks can shift¹⁰ a little bit left or right. If it goes to west by 50 miles, we would then push that strong surge into the Galveston, Galveston Bay Huston area.

By 7 p.m. Rappaport has turned over media briefings to Max Mayfield, the Hurricane Center's director. Mayfield warns people to stay clear of Rita’s path. But he also lets them know that things won’t be as bad as they have been in New Orleans.

If there is any good news here, it’s a, it’s not as strong as Katrina and it’s not as large as Katrina and it’s cetainly not hitting a populated area like Katrina did. The, the best thing...

It’s approaching 9 p.m. at the Hurricane Center. Max Mayfield divides his time between meteorology and public relations. He knows his words may decide whether someone stays in their house or heads for higher ground.

(Did you hear anything on the levees?
Yeah. Sure.
Yeah. Just. you have, havn't a break until 9 **?
Oh, you're so kind to me.
At the Houston Station I *
Anytime I'll talk to Houston, anytime they wanna talk about it.)

It’s now after 10 p.m. less than an hour before Mayfield will broadcast the Hurricane Center’s last major advisory¹¹ before Rita strikes land. Mayfield consults with his colleagues.

(so I don't understand.
And the light.
it's gonna go Wilbon.That's not good stuff¹², right? Yeah, it's...
That looks just like this. Right? I just feel it very hard.
That's it. I just tell you it's just not that hard.
So Park Arthur is....)

Mayfield has gathered all the information he can. He sits down at a desk surrounded by reporters. Behind him is a huge video screen showing satellite images of Rita approaching the coast. Mayfield turns to the television camera.

Good evening, this is 11 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and 10 p.m. Central Daylight Time Update on dangerous Hurricane Rita. The eye of the hurricane / is located about 55 miles southeast of Sabine Pass , near the Texas-Louisiana border, is moving toward the northwest at 12 miles per hour which should get the eye onto the coast in about 4 hours or so.

Mayfield is pretty close. The storm arrives four and a half hours later almost exactly where the forecasters said it would.

John Hamilton, NPR news, Miami.

1 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 crucial   

adj.极重要的，决定性的，关键性的

参考例句：

• It's a crucial decision.这是一个极其重要的决定。
• The foreign market was increasingly crucial.国外市场越来越重要了。

5 deputy   

n.代理人，代表，副职；adj.代理的，副的

参考例句：

• John will act as a deputy for me during my absence.我离开期间，约翰将代理我的职务。
• She is the deputy headmistress of the school.她是那所学校的代理校长。

6 corresponds   

相符合( correspond的第三人称单数 )； 相一致； 相当； 通信

参考例句：

• The working of this machine corresponds to that of the human brain. 这种机器的作用就相当于人脑的作用。
• Your account of events corresponds with hers. 你说的情况和她说的一致。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

9 surge   

n.汹涌，澎湃；vi.汹涌，强烈感到，飞涨；vt.放开，松手

参考例句：

• The surge travelled southwards along the coast.浪涛沿着海岸向南涌去。
• It failed to stimulate a surge of investment in industry.这没有能刺激工业投资的激增。

10 shift   

n.交换，变化，移动，接班者；vt.更替，移转，变声；vi.改变，定责，更衣

参考例句：

• Lend me a hand to shift this box,will you?来帮一下忙，把这箱子搬开，好吗？
• A sudden shift in the wind warned of the coming storm.风向的突然改变预示暴风雨来临。

11 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

12 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。