VOA标准英语2010年-South Africa Sends Search, Rescue Team

South Africa is sending a team of search and rescue specialists to Haiti in response to the devastating¹ earthquake on Tuesday.  It is the first of several teams being sent by a local civic² group.
 
The head of South Africa's Gift of the Givers Foundation, Emtiaz Sooliman, says his group is sending up to three teams of search and rescue specialists to Haiti to help victims of the earthquake and hopefully save some lives.

"These are people who have worked with building collapses⁴, urban search and rescue and some of them have been involved in responding to previous earthquakes so they are highly skilled," he said.

Sooliman says a second team is to depart as soon as he can book a flight for it.  Flights to Haiti are difficult to obtain because of its damaged air control facilities and the large number of relief planes heading there.

Sooliman says the teams will also set up camps and see what medical facilities are available.

"Then we will send in specialized⁵ medical personnel, trauma⁶ specialists, orthopedic surgeons, trauma nurses, advanced life support paramedics, to work with other medical personnel on the ground or work on their own provided medical facilities are available," he said.

He notes that specialists in infectious diseases will also be needed because of the collapse³ of water and sewage systems in many areas.

Gift of the Givers is also lining⁷ up a charter plane to deliver more than 100 metric tons of supplies to the worst-hit areas.  But Sooliman warns the international community must move fast or many lives will be needlessly lost.

"There are many men, women and children there who are completely at the mercy of the elements and must be sitting in pain with no food, no medical care, with broken bones.  As a common humanity we need to move very fast to respond to the crisis of these people," he said.

Sooliman says his foundation is the largest disaster relief organization of African origin on the continent.  With support from private donors⁸ and several governments in the region, it has worked in 25 countries including Somalia, Sudan, Mozambique, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan. 

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 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

4 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

5 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

6 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

7 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

8 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》