飓风来袭路易斯安那州进入紧急状态_时事要闻

飓风来袭路易斯安那州进入紧急状态

文章来源：未知文章作者：enread 发布时间：2012-08-28 06:47 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, as Tropical Storm Isaac threatens to hit the US.

美国总统奥巴马宣布路易斯安那州进入紧急状态，热带风暴艾萨克将袭击美国。

Isaac is heading for New Orleans, possibly as early as Tuesday night, nearly seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated¹ the city.

The Republican Party delayed by a day the start of its national convention in Tampa, Florida.

Isaac killed at least 24 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

The storm wrought² significant flooding and damage in the Caribbean.

Late on Monday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Isaac could reach category two strength, with top winds of 160km/h. The forecast was revised up from category one.

President Obama approved Louisiana's request for a federal disaster declaration, making available federal funds for recovery activities such as clearing debris³.

Wide path

Earlier, the governors of Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama declared emergencies in their states.

The Republican governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi have cancelled their trips to their party's convention to focus on disaster prevention efforts.

Isaac is already a large storm and could bring significant damage to areas within hundreds of miles of its centre, officials warn.

The NHC said that at 23:00 EDT on Monday (03:00 GMT on Tuesday), Isaac was centred about 305km south-east of the mouth of the Mississippi river, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 110km/h.

The storm is moving forward at about 10mph and storm winds extend out about 335km from the centre.

The NHC warned that wind speeds could reach between 96-110mph before the storm makes landfall.

Evacuations have already been ordered for some low-lying Louisiana parishes and parts of coastal⁴ Alabama.

Wednesday is the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which strengthened in the Gulf⁵ to a category five storm, before weakening to category three by the time it reached New Orleans.

Federal officials said the levees around New Orleans are now equipped to handle storms stronger than Isaac. Levee failures led to the catastrophic flooding in the area after Katrina.

"It's a much more robust⁶ system than what it was when Katrina came ashore," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator⁷ Craig Fugate said in a conference call with reporters.

Mr Fugate also said that Isaac was not just a New Orleans storm.

"This is a Gulf Coast storm. Some of the heaviest impact may be in Alabama and Mississippi," he said.

点击

收听单词发音

1 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。

2 wrought
v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的
参考例句：
Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。 It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

3 debris
n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片
参考例句：
After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。 Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

4 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。

5 gulf
n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂
参考例句：
The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。 There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 robust
adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的
参考例句：
She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。 China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

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。

上一篇：哥伦比亚政府与反派力量举行和平会谈下一篇：叙利亚武装分子击落一架直升机