VOA标准英语2009年-Earthquake-Prone Nations Can Reduce Casual

By Brian Padden
Jakarta
21 October 2009

Indonesia is one of the most earthquake-prone nations in the world. After the devastating¹ earthquake in Padang last month that killed thousands, disaster-management experts are recommending ways to reduce the casualties and damage caused by natural disasters.

 
Aerial image of buildings destroyed by earthquake in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 03 Oct 2009
The magnitude 7.6 earthquake that occurred off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing² thousands, is not an unusual occurrence.

Geophysicist Jessica Sigala, with the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center, says the number of quakes that occur each year has been relatively³ constant.

"Right now I am looking at a table that shows the frequency of earthquakes by magnitude in the world and on average we see about 17 earthquakes in the magnitude seven to 7.9 range and that is on average," she said. "We've had 14 in this magnitude seven range this year. So we are pretty average right now."

Indonesia and many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region sit along fault lines separating sections of the Earth's crust known as tectonic plates. The shifting of these plates can cause earthquakes, volcanic⁴ eruptions⁵ and tsunamis⁷. The number of volcanoes and earthquake fault lines, stretching from Alaska in North America, down to South America and across the Pacific to Indonesia and up to Japan, is nicknamed the "Ring of Fire".

John Holmes, the United Nations emergency relief coordinator⁸, says earthquakes contribute to make the Asia-Pacific region the most disaster-prone in the world.

"I think something like 70 percent of the world's disasters, natural disasters happen in this part of the world," he explained. "And I saw a figure the other day that actually 99 percent of the natural disaster deaths last year were in the Asia-Pacific region."

Holmes and disaster management experts say communities in high-risk areas can act to reduce the loss of life and damage in the future.

Brian Tucker is president of Geo Hazards International, which specializes in preventing loss of life from natural disasters. He says the technology to make buildings more earthquake resistant⁹ is not that complicated.

"It is not rocket science, as we say. Basically you just have to make sure the walls are connected to one another so that they don't separate from each other in strong shaking," he noted¹⁰. "They should be tied together. They should be tied to roof members, or if it is a multi-story structure, the walls need to be tied to the floors of each floor."

Tucker is helping¹¹ rebuilding efforts in Sumatra. He says the coastal¹² city Padang, which suffered massive damage in the quake, also is at high risk for tsunamis.

"There's a tremendously high probability of a tsunami⁶ occurring in Padang, offshore¹³ Padang," he added. "And the rough estimate is that something like 100,000 people would be inundated¹⁴ by a tsunami wave of anywhere between five and 10 meters high. And there is a good chance of such a tsunami occurring in the next, in the lifetime of the kids that are alive today in Padang."

In addition to earthquake-resistant construction, he says the city should take additional measures: move schools, hospitals and other essential buildings outside the high-risk area, make sure there are adequate roads to quickly evacuate¹⁵ the city, and build a number of tall structures in the city that can provide shelter from the waves.

In nearby rural areas, the quake triggered landslides¹⁶ that buried entire villages. Adelina Kamal, the head of disaster management for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, says moving other at-risk villages would almost certainly encounter local resistance.

"Probably they don't want to leave their house and their land because their land is so fertile and this is part of their asset. So it is very much on the awareness¹⁷ of the people," she said. "They have to know first the risk associated with their lives, their homes, whether they live in a safe area, whether their house is safe."

But Geo Hazards' Tucker says even in those situations technology can reduce risks. In Japan, walls have been built to protect villages from landslides.

All these measures cost money, but the United Nations' Holmes recommends using a portion of recovery funding on prevention.

"So a 10 percent figure of what you are spending on response or even perhaps on development should go into disaster-risk reduction because that is a good investment," he noted.

He says every dollar spent on disaster risk reduction will save $7 on future emergency response costs.

 

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

5 eruptions   

n.喷发，爆发( eruption的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year. 今年火山爆发了好几次。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Over 200 people have been killed by volcanic eruptions. 火山喷发已导致200多人丧生。 来自辞典例句

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 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。

12 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

13 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

14 inundated   

v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 )；（洪水般地）涌来；充满；给予或交予（太多事物）使难以应付

参考例句：

• We have been inundated with offers of help. 主动援助多得使我们应接不暇。
• We have been inundated with every bit of information imaginable. 凡是想得到的各种各样的信息潮水般地向我们涌来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

17 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。