VOA标准英语2009年-Death Toll in Philippines Continues to Cli

By Brian Padden
Jakarta
29 September 2009

 
People view victims of massive flooding in suburban¹ Quezon City, north of Manila, 29 Sep 2009
Philippine authorities say that 240 people have died in the floods caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana but that number is likely to rise. And rescue efforts could be hampered² by new storms that could be heading toward the Philippines.

Rescue efforts are still under way Tuesday in the northern Philippines as the country struggles to recover from one of the worst rainstorms ever to hit the region.

Stephen Anderson is the United Nations World Food Program's country director in Manila. He compares the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ketsana to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated³ the southern United States in 2005.

"It was more rain in fact than Hurricane Katrina and you know up to 20 feet of water engulfed⁴ some parts of Manila, especially the low lying areas," he said.

Hundreds have been reported dead or missing. The government has set up tents to shelter the thousands left homeless by the flooding but says it does not have the resources to help all in need. A state of calamity⁵ has been declared in Manila and 25 provinces, and an appeal has been made to the international community for help.

Presidential spokesman Anthony Golez says clean drinking water leads the list of immediate⁶ needs.

"The number one priority need for the major relief operation would be the distribution of potable water because we are afraid the line, the water lines may be contaminated," he said.
        
He says Japan and the United States have been the first to offer assistance. The U.S. military, which already was in the country conducting counter-terrorism training, is providing helicopters, boats and troops to support rescue efforts.

Anderson says the World Food Program is providing 600 tons of rice and will help coordinate⁷ the international relief effort. But he says new storms forming in the region could cause additional deaths and damage.

"We're all running against time," he said. "There is an indication that two storms are forming to the east of the Philippines, two tropical depressions that could turn into tropical storms or typhoons. It is too early to know if they will hit us here in Manila but if they do this would indeed be catastrophic."

Ketsana, now a typhoon, hit the coast of central Vietnam Tuesday afternoon. Tens of thousands of residents in the area had evacuated⁸ earlier in the day and the government urged residents to take shelter from the storm. The storm is expected to bring heavy rain to Laos, Cambodia and Thailand as it moves inland.

1 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

2 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

3 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。

4 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

8 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。