Hurricane Rita aftermath
Edited by Kovis


Flooded houses seen after Hurricane Rita hit the coastal communities of Texas and Louisiana, September 25, 2005.

In the wake of Hurricane Rita, residents along the Texas and Louisiana coasts have begun clearing away debris while power crews work to restore electricity to more than 1 million customers in four states.

Residents breathed a sigh of relief that the devastation caused by the ominous storm was less severe than that caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Search and rescue teams working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in Lake Charles, Louisiana, late on Saturday, in a convoy of about a dozen vehicles loaded with water, ready-to-eat meals, medical supplies and fuel.

In contrast with Hurricane Katrina, which has caused a confirmed death toll of more than 1,000, only one death had been attributed to Hurricane Rita by Saturday night.

Hurricane Rita made landfall on the Texas-Louisiana border early on Saturday as a Category 3 storm, bringing 20-foot high waves and up to 25 inches of rain.

By Saturday afternoon, Rita had been downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum winds of 65 miles per hour.

The flood-prone cities of Houston and Galveston, largely evacuated over the past four days, escaped a direct hit, but damage was widespread and several fires broke out.

Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas asked residents to wait for a few days before they return.

US President George W. Bush tracked the progress of Hurricane Rita from an Air Force base in the Rocky Mountain foothills in Colorado.

He said that though the storm had passed the coastline the situation was "still dangerous." "A lot of people have left the coastline and headed into East Texas and parts of western Louisiana. It's important for them to listen carefully to the local authorities about whether or not it is safe to return back to their homes," he said.

The US Energy Department said it appeared the oil industry, especially the refineries in the Houston-Texas City area, may have escaped major damage.

Vocabulary
aftermath 后果
debris 废墟
devastation 灾难
convoy 护送
evacuate 疏散
refinery 炼油厂

 

 

World in Pictures
Photo source: ImagineChina

	The human tower 搭建人体金字塔庆祝传统活动 A human tower is formed by the "Castellers of Vilafranca" team in Barcelona's Saint Jaume Square, September 25, during the traditional event performed every September to honor Barcelona's patron saint La Merce. Some 250 people made up the tower.
	International Day of Peace 百米大旗纪念世界和平日 Marchers carry Australia's largest flag, 100 meters long, past Melbourne Flinders Street station during a march to celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the International Day of Peace, in Melbourne September 21. The United Nations endorsed day calls for a day of global ceasefire and non-violence in conflicts around the world.
	The skydiving jeep 吉普车高空"跳伞" Skydivers and the all-new Jeep Commander dove 1,200 feet from a helicopter in suburban Detroit to celebrate a partnership between Jeep and Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit organization that sends care packages to troops overseas.
	Music and beer festival 慕尼黑啤酒节热力四射 Alpenhorn players and other brass musicians in traditional Bavarian clothes perform on September 25 in front of Munich's Bavaria statue during the Oktoberfest beer festival. Around 100 musicians took part in the annual concert that marks the festival.
	The bear buddy 与狗熊练习摔跤 Josh Herbert, a Madison High School senior on the school's wrestling and football teams, wrestles with his pet Buddy, a 450-pound, 8-year-old North American black bear, at his home in Madison Township, Ohio, September 14. Herbert says he wrestles with the bear a couple of times per week.

 

 

World in Words
Collected & translated by Beverly

"I'm not sitting somewhere dwelling on the past. I'm not fretting or obsessing about something in the future."
"对于过去, 我没有沉湎不前；对于未来, 我也没有焦急烦恼、不知所措. "
In the first TV interview since filing for divorce from Brad Pitt earlier this year, Aniston said that she's now in a good place.
--与布拉德·皮特离婚后, 珍妮弗·安妮斯顿近日首次接受电视采访并且表示她现在过得很好.

"I really went into the competition because I just wanted to learn how to speak Thai and I wanted to have a Thai experience."
"我参加大赛的真实目的仅仅是想学说泰语同时也有机会体验一下泰国的风情. "
Australian beauty Angela MacKay has handed back her Miss Thailand crown just 10 days after winning it, saying her entirely unexpected triumph interfered with her modeling career.
--澳大利亚美女安琪拉·麦凯在荣膺泰国小姐桂冠仅10天后就将这一称号送还组委会, 原因是不想因为这个意外的胜利而影响自己的模特生涯.

"A staggering 16 million Britons run out of cash each month and often resort to expensive overdrafts to make it through to payday. "
"1600万英国人每个月都将钱提前花完, 只好靠高息的透支贷款维持到下一个发薪日, 这个数字真是令人吃惊. "
A recent research shows that one third of the Britons are broke before payday.
--近期一项研究结果显示, 三分之一的英国人在每月发薪日前夕就已经处于身无分文的状态了.

"A penalty coming from a kid for breaking rules generates a stronger feeling of guilt among adults than a simple fine."
"让孩子们给违规者开出罚单会使这些成年人产生更大的负罪感, 而不仅仅是一张罚单. "
Bad drivers in eastern Hungary will be left with a sour taste in their mouths next month when school students will accompany traffic police and hand out pieces of lemon along with a fine.
--下个月, 匈牙利东部的在校学生将和交警一起给违规司机开具罚单, 并送给这些司机一片柠檬含在口中.