VOA常速英语2014--Earthquakes Remind Californians to Prepare for Disasters 地震提醒加州人预备应对灾难（在线收听）

Earthquakes Remind Californians to Prepare for Disasters 地震提醒加州人预备应对灾难

A series of moderate earthquakes that rocked Los Angeles recently have reminded residents to be ready for a disaster.  Safety experts say every household needs a plan, supplies of food and water, and emergency equipment.

最近发生在洛杉矶的一连串中强度地震提醒当地居民做好灾难应急准备。安全专家表示，每家每户都要有应急计划、足够的粮食和水，以及急救工具。

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 shook the southeastern suburbs of Los Angeles on Friday, causing some damage, but no major injuries.  Nerves were on edge as smaller aftershocks rumbled through the region.

上周，洛杉矶东南部郊区发生5.1级地震，造成一些破坏，但没有重大人员伤亡。多次小型余震使得当地居民十分紧张。

At the Los Angeles County emergency operations center, young people sort through supplies, the kind we should all have on hand for any disaster, from flashlights and batteries to emergency blankets.  They are training with FEMA Corps, under the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the national service program AmeriCorps.

在洛杉矶县应急中心，年轻人在展示救灾器材，从手电筒、电池到急救毯。他们在接受联邦紧急事务管理局旗下的工作队和全国服务项目美国军团的训练。

Ongoing training at this hilltop command center also ensures coordination among emergency responders.  L.A. County has 88 cities and scores of agencies, and Leslie Luke of the Office of Emergency Management said the region had to be ready for any kind of disaster.

这些正在进行的训练也保证了各个应急反应队伍的协调能力。洛杉矶县内有88个市和众多机构，应急管理办公室的卢克表示，他们必须准备好应对各种灾害。

“Just here in the last month, we have had a wildfire, we have had a severe rainstorm which caused mudflows and debris flows.  We have had an earthquake,” said Luke.

洛杉矶县紧急管理办公室卢克说：“上个月，就在这里，发生过一次森林大火，一次大暴雨导致泥石流，还发生了地震。”

At the Red Cross in nearby Long Beach, the message is also preparedness, since experts say people should expect to be on their own for at least three days after a disaster.  They will need their medications, a first aid kit, food and water.  Red Cross official Margaret Arbini-Madonna said their emergency kit should also include a radio, ideally one with several functions, like an alarm, a light and an AM-FM radio.

附近长滩的红十字会传达的信息也是要做好准备，因为通常在灾难发生后的三天里，人们需要靠自己。他们要准备药品和急救箱。

She said people should keep copies of important documents in a waterproof package, and it should all be accessible in an emergency kit.  She added that, in an earthquake, people needed to react when the shaking started.

“You go under a counter or something to protect your head and neck from falling objects.  So drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops,” she said.

她说：“赶快躲在台面或者其他什么东西下面，保护头和脖子，不要被下落的东西砸到。卧倒，躲避，直到地震停止。”

Earthquakes are a fact of life in California, and a quake of magnitude eight or higher could strike along the San Andreas Fault in coming decades.  The fault runs north to south through the state, and thousands died in its last major rupture near San Francisco in 1906.  Scientists say it could well wreak havoc again in northern California, or closer to Los Angeles in the southern part of the state.

地震在加州很常见，在未来的几十年，圣安第列斯断层可能发生8级或8级以上的地震。这条断层自北向南纵贯加州。上一次大地震发生在1906年，震中靠近旧金山，数千人死亡。科学家说，未来的大地震可能发生在同一地区，也可能在洛杉矶附近。

But smaller earthquakes can be deadly if they strike close to cities, like the magnitude 6.7 quake that hit Northridge, California, 20 years ago.  It killed more than 50 people.

稍小型的地震如果距离城市较近，也非常危险，比如20年前，加州北岭发生的6.7级地震就导致50多人死亡。

Seismologist Kate Hutton of the California Institute of Technology said an early warning system was in development, similar to ones now in place in Japan and Mexico City. It would give precious seconds of warning after a temblor has struck the region, as ground waves are approaching.

加州理工学院的地震学家赫顿称，现在正在研制一种预警系统。它可以在震波逼近的时候发出预警，为人们争取几秒钟的珍贵时间。

“And get under the desk or get out of the elevator or slow the trains down or all these different things that could be done in that short amount of time,” said Hutton.

加州理工学院地震学家赫顿说：“躲在桌子下面，或者从电梯里面出来，减慢火车的速度，所有这些事情都可以在短短的几秒钟内完成。”

But she said there was no way to predict earthquakes, so being prepared was the best defense.

但是她说，地震是无法预测的，所以现在，时刻做好准备就是最好的防御。