历史上的今天-Today in History 2013-08-29

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

America suffers its most destructive natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 storm blows ashore¹ in Southeast Louisiana, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate². Katrina kills eighteen hundred people across the Gulf³ Coast, destroying or severely⁴ damaging homes from Alabama and Mississippi to New Orleans.  80% of the Big Easy is swamped when the city’s levees break after the storm strikes. Hundreds of thousands of residents and about a million others in surrounding areas are forced to flee. But Katrina’s howling winds also drive thousands to Superdome and to the New Orleans Convention Center for shelter, most of them, the poorest of the poor, unwilling⁵ or unable to heed⁶ the evacuation orders. Looting and violence later break out in the city where the initial sluggish⁷ response to Katrina only adds to the misery⁸.

“We could go and help in tsunami⁹, but we can’t help our own people, we’ve been sleeping in the streets for five days and nights.”

Government officials, federal state and local all face sharp criticism for their handling of the catastrophe¹⁰, from President Bush and Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief Michael Brown to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Despite some progress and rebuilding after Katrina, recovery for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast remains¹¹ a long hard road, while debate over the disaster goes on. Today in History, August 29th. Ross Simpson, the Associated Press.

分享到：