美国国家公共电台 NPR New, Respected FEMA Chief Faces First Major Challenge With Hurricane Harvey

 

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Tropical Storm Harvey is the first test of the Trump¹ administration's response to a natural disaster. And much of that responsibility falls on the shoulders of the new administrator² of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long. NPR's Brian Naylor has his profile.

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE³: William Brock Long was confirmed as FEMA administrator by the Senate in June just a few months ago. But he is not exactly a stranger to the agency. He was a regional manager there during the George W. Bush administration. And he went on to serve as Alabama's emergency management director. His Trump administration colleague, Homeland Security adviser⁴ Tom Bossert, gave Long a strong endorsement⁵.

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TOM BESSERT: We couldn't have picked a finer leader. He's had state director experience. He's had FEMA experience. He's absolutely the top of the top.

NAYLOR: In Alabama, Long oversaw⁶ recovery efforts from tornados⁷ and the BP oil spill. Barry Scanlon, who worked at FEMA during the Clinton administration, says Long is well-regarded in the field.

BARRY SCANLON: So he's got the relationships throughout emergency management, throughout the state. He has the respect of people who do this every day, which is vitally important.

NAYLOR: Long was not available to be interviewed for this story. In July, he told the National Governors Association that his biggest concern as FEMA director was a lack of a culture of preparedness, as he put it. People, he says, are just not as prepared as they need to be for a major storm.

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BROCK LONG: I believe in has - what I call hazard amnesia⁸, OK? We've had some bad disasters. We've had Sandy. We've had Matthew. We've had flooding. But one of the things that keeps me up at night is this nation has not seen the devastation⁹ of a major land-falling hurricane since 2005, you know? So sometimes I think we forget the worst.

NAYLOR: FEMA's role in a big storm like Harvey is to prepare residents and position supplies like bottled water and blankets and food, should they be needed. But it's largely up to states and local government to be first responders. In fact, Long believes that individual citizens are the real first responders.

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LONG: We have to think about the way we train our citizens and refocus these programs to give them lifesaving skills. Come back to CPR. How to shut off the water valves to your homes. How can they do simple search and rescue in their communities after they face these disasters. I think we have to take a comprehensive look at how - what we're asking citizens to do, but empower them to be a part of that response.

NAYLOR: While Long will be doing most of the management of the federal response. Ultimately, it's President Trump who will get the blame or credit for how his administration deals with its first natural disaster. And he'll be closely watched as he performs the role of healer in chief. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

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1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

3 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。

4 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

5 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

6 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

7 tornados   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And the national weather service reports several tornados touch down. 国家气象中心报告预测龙卷风将来袭。 来自互联网
• They had stock footage of lightning, tornados, and hurricanes. 他们存有关于闪电、龙卷风和飓风的电影胶片。 来自互联网

8 amnesia   

n.健忘症，健忘

参考例句：

• People suffering from amnesia don't forget their general knowledge of objects.患健忘症的人不会忘记关于物体的一些基本知识。
• Chinese medicine experts developed a way to treat amnesia using marine materials.中国医学专家研制出用海洋物质治疗遗忘症的方法。

9 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》