美国国家公共电台 NPR When Hurricanes Churn, A Little Hotel Becomes Something More

 

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

Fort Myers is one of the cities in Florida that got a direct hit from Irma. There, living through the storm was as close to routine as a hurricane can be. NPR's Camila Domonoske spent time at a little hotel just off the interstate that becomes something more during hurricane season.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE¹: The Comfort Inn behind the Cracker² Barrel isn't advertised as a hurricane shelter, but Dorothea Brown knows it's the place to be when a storm comes through.

DOROTHEA BROWN: It's our second home when we have to evacuate³ (laughter).

DOMONOSKE: Evacuations are a part of life in Florida, especially when you live in a mobile home and RV park as Brown does. She's been taking refuge at this hotel for years. She tries to remember the first time.

BROWN: Well, there was Wilma. Before that was that - what was it? - a man's name that was real bad.

DOMONOSKE: That would be Hurricane Charley in 2004. Brown is 91 years old.

BROWN: I keep going (laughter). Yeah. Yeah, it's the Florida sunshine and the exercise and good friends, good neighbors.

DOMONOSKE: And a good refuge doesn't hurt.

BROWN: Yeah, we love to come here. And they are very good in trying to assist us the most they can. I can recommend this little motel (laughter).

DOMONOSKE: Here's why. The staff members brought their families and stayed for the entire storm. They kept serving fresh food and hot coffee. On Monday night, they set up a grill⁴ outside, barbecued chicken and shared it with stranded⁵ guests. Flor Garcia is the hotel's general manager.

FLOR GARCIA: Yeah, we got hungry. We just went to our houses to get whatever we had in them, meat or anything. So we just used that grill. We got a couple food and that's it.

DOMONOSKE: In the lobby, Dorothea Brown had some good news.

BROWN: I have a home to go home to. Thank God.

DOMONOSKE: But she'll be back at her second home to ride out the next storm. Camila Domonoske, NPR News, Fort Myers.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOSHUA REDMAN AND THE BAD PLUS' "AS THIS MOMENT SLIPS AWAY")

1 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。

2 cracker   

n.（无甜味的）薄脆饼干

参考例句：

• Buy me some peanuts and cracker.给我买一些花生和饼干。
• There was a cracker beside every place at the table.桌上每个位置旁都有彩包爆竹。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

5 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。