VOA标准英语2010年-Hurricane Earl Moves Along US East Coa

A NASA image shows Hurricane Earl - now a powerful Category 4 storm - as it passes over the Leeward¹ Islands and barrels toward the US coast, 31 Aug 2010

U.S. officials say Hurricane Earl is expected to bring severe weather and possible flooding to some parts of the eastern U.S. coast this week.

Weather officials said Hurricane Earl was moving northward² off the U.S. coast, after skirting parts of the eastern Caribbean this week, and that residents in low-lying areas should be prepared to evacuate³ if needed.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said they are closely watching the storm for signs that it will remain in open waters, or turn west and impact the U.S. coastline.  They said the outer fringes of the category four storm are expected to reach the barrier islands of North Carolina by Friday.

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Reed said the storm should continue to produce very dangerous conditions in Atlantic waters as it moves north.

"We are going to have an impact in the way of dangerous swells⁴ and surf, rip currents and beach erosion as the storm moves up the coast," said Reed.  "Even a minor⁵ shift back to the west could bring direct impacts to portions of the coastline from the mid-Atlantic northward."

Emergency officials said residents in low-lying coastal⁶ areas from North Carolina to Maine should be prepared for possible evacuations in coming days. They said residents should monitor local weather officials, who may begin issuing storm warnings as Earl moves closer to the U.S. mainland.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator⁷ Craig Fugate said the main concern is possible flooding.

"The primary threat here is going to be storm surge.  We use tropical force winds, however, as a benchmark to have an evacuation completed because many of the overland routes will include high bridges and other things that tropical force winds make it extremely dangerous," said Fugate.

Earlier, heavy rains from Earl caused flooding in low-lying areas of Antigua, and winds ripped out trees and blew down power lines on the nearby island of St. Martin.  Officials in the U.S. Virgin⁸ Islands and Puerto Rico said they are working to restore electricity to more than 200,000 people who were affected⁹ by the storm.

Meanwhile, forecasters said residents of the eastern Caribbean should prepare for possible impact from another storm that has formed in the Atlantic.  Tropical Storm Fiona is expected to reach parts of the area by Wednesday.

Bill Reed of the National Hurricane Center says Fiona is not expected to come as close to land as Earl did.

"It is forecast to remain northeast of the islands and not impact the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the same places that were hit by Earl.  It is running parallel to Earl and off to the east, maybe impacting Bermuda by the weekend," said Reed.

Current forecasts show Fiona moving north on a path that will keep it far off the U.S. East Coast.

 

1 leeward   

adj.背风的；下风的

参考例句：

• The trees all listed to leeward.树木统统向下风方向倾。
• We steered a course to leeward.我们向下风航驶。

2 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

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 swells   

增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
• A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。

5 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

6 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。

7 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

8 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

9 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。