VOA标准英语2009年-Number of Flood Victims Rises Dramatically

The United Nations reports the number of people affected¹ by torrential rains and floods in West Africa has increased dramatically. The United Nations estimates 600,000 people have been affected and around 160 killed. Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Sierra Leone are among the most affected countries.

Unusually severe rains began falling on September 1 in Burkina Faso, depositing about one-quarter of the country's annual rainfall on the capital, Ouagadougou in just one day.
　
View of the flooded streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 01 Sep 2009

The rains have caused widespread displacement², with an estimated 150,000 people affected. U.N. Humanitarian³ Spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs says about 48,000 people are living in schools, churches and other public buildings.

She says the number of people staying with host families has significantly increased to at least 40,000.

Byrs says conditions in these shelters are extremely precarious⁴. She says the sanitary⁵ conditions are terrible. There are not enough latrines or showers. She says the shelters are overcrowded so men are sleeping outdoors to allow women and children to use the buildings.

She says non-food items, such as tents, cook sets, mosquito nets and blankets are in short supply.

But Burkina Faso is not the only West African country struggling with the ravaging⁶ affects of the floods. The United Nations reports 11 countries now are struggling to find accommodations, food, water and other essential items for their homeless populations.

The World Food Program is distributing food to flood-affected victims in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania. WFP Spokeswoman Emilia Casella says 125,000 people in Ouagadougou will receive aid.

"These are people who are already receiving WFP food, actually they were receiving assistance through a voucher⁷ program that we had started earlier this year in support of these people and also of the market there," said Casella. "That means they would receive a voucher, which they could use to purchase locally produced and local food on the market, thereby⁸ supporting the community market as well as receiving assistance with food. Now all of these people, most of them have lost all the food that they received through the voucher program."

Casella says the World Food Program is providing a one-month ration⁹ to these people and also is distributing food to homeless people in some of the shelters.

In addition, she says the U.N. agency is providing an initial two-week supply of food to 41,000 people in Niger. She says they were left hungry and homeless after a dike¹⁰ near the northern town of Agadez burst its banks.

She notes the Mauritanian border town of Rosso, on the banks of the Senegal River, also has been lashed¹¹ by heavy rains and devastated¹² by floods. She says the World Food Program is planning to distribute food to about 11,500 people there.

 

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

3 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

4 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

5 sanitary   

adj.卫生方面的，卫生的，清洁的，卫生的

参考例句：

• It's not sanitary to let flies come near food.让苍蝇接近食物是不卫生的。
• The sanitary conditions in this restaurant are abominable.这家饭馆的卫生状况糟透了。

6 ravaging   

毁坏( ravage的现在分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• It is believed that in fatigue there is a repeated process of ravaging the material. 据认为，在疲劳中，有一个使材料毁坏的重复过程。
• I was able to capture the lion that was ravaging through town. 我能逮住正在城里肆虐的那头狮子。

7 voucher   

n.收据；传票；凭单，凭证

参考例句：

• The government should run a voucher system.政府应该施行凭证制度。
• Whenever cash is paid out,a voucher or receipt should be obtained.无论何时只要支付现金，就必须要有一张凭据或者收据。

8 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

9 ration   

n.定量(pl.)给养，口粮；vt.定量供应

参考例句：

• The country cut the bread ration last year.那个国家去年削减面包配给量。
• We have to ration the water.我们必须限量用水。

10 dike   

n.堤，沟；v.开沟排水

参考例句：

• They dug a dike along walls of the school.他们沿校墙挖沟。
• Fortunately,the flood did not break the dike.还好，这场大水没有把堤坝冲坏。

11 lashed   

adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• The rain lashed at the windows. 雨点猛烈地打在窗户上。
• The cleverly designed speech lashed the audience into a frenzy. 这篇精心设计的演说煽动听众使他们发狂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。