俄克拉荷馬州龍捲風遇難人數修正爲24人
Rescuers pored over demolished neighborhoods Tuesday as this battered area began to regroup and assess the carnage a day after a massive and deadly tornado tore through towns just south of Oklahoma City, killing dozens, injuring hundreds and obliterating structures in its path.
救援人員週二仔細檢查了穆爾市(Moore)被毀的社區，與此同時，這片受災嚴重的地區也開始重整旗鼓，對災難進行評估。一天前，一場劇烈的龍捲風襲擊了俄克拉何馬市(Oklahoma City)南部的一些城鎮，導致數十人死亡，上百人受傷，並摧毀了行進路線上的建築物。At least 24 people died, nine of them children, according to a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. The death toll, which had originally been reported at 51, was revised because victims were initially double counted, the spokeswoman said. More than 230 people were injured by the storm, officials said. One hospital, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said it received 45 children.
俄克拉何馬州應急管理部門(Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management)的一名發言人說，龍捲風導致至少24人死亡，其中九人爲兒童。此前報告有51人死亡，原因在於重複計算。官員們說，超過230人在風暴中受傷。俄克拉何馬大學醫學中心(University of Oklahoma Medical Center)說，已經收治了45名兒童。Meanwhile, heavy equipment and bulldozers arrived by the dozens to clear debris-strewn streets. Disaster relief workers walked neighborhoods, asking dazed people what they needed.
與此同時，數十臺重型機械和推土機抵達了災區，它們將用來清理街道上散落的瓦礫。救災人員在社區走動，向驚慌失措的人們提供幫助。
The bad weather continued Tuesday, with lightning and hail delaying rescue efforts and turning the skies a bleak gray that mirrored the collective mood.
惡劣的天氣持續到了週二，雷電和冰雹導致救援行動被拖延，天空和人們的心情一樣呈現出陰鬱的灰色。'It's been a very heartbreaking experience, especially the loss of children,' said Gov. Mary Fallin, who flew over the devastated community Tuesday, and said the destruction and downed street signs had rendered some areas unidentifiable.
俄克拉何馬州州長法林(Mary Fallin)說，這場經歷讓人心碎，尤其是兒童的死亡。法林周二乘飛機在受災社區上空巡視，她表示，由於房屋損壞和路牌被吹倒，一些區域難以辨認。One Moore resident, Robert Centers, couldn't find his street as he drove through his Moore neighborhood, which had been squashed to mostly rubble. Some houses simply vanished, but most were flattened, leaving empty plots dotted with mangled cars and littered with piles of wood and brick. Whole tree trunks were sucked from the earth exposing their long, twisted roots.
穆爾市的居民森特斯(Robert Centers)開車在穆爾市的居民區行進，他已經無法找到自己居住的街道，這個社區基本上已是一片瓦礫。一些房子徹底消失不見，但是大多數只是倒塌了，一些空蕩蕩的地上散落着嚴重受損的汽車，以及一堆堆的木頭和磚塊。一些大樹被連根拔起，暴露出長長的、盤繞着的樹根。Some lots had tents set up and neighbors were picking through the detritus to find photos and family mementos.
人們在一些空地上支起了帳篷，居民們在瓦礫中搜尋着照片和家庭紀念物品。'I think this is my street,' said Mr. Centers, a retired purchasing agent for Tinker Air Force Base, who turned 59 on Monday. He shares a birthday with his wife Judy, who turned 63. The Centers were luckier than many of their neighbors.
森特斯退休前是廷克空軍基地(Tinker Air Force Base)的一名採購代理，週一是他59歲的生日，也是他妻子茱蒂(Judy)63歲的生日。他說，我覺得這就是我居住的街道。森特斯一家要比他們的許多鄰居更幸運一點。The fierce winds battered their compact brick house, smashing some windows, but it was still standing. Although authorities have told them they may not have power or water for a month, they plan to stay regardless. 'This is all I have,' said Mr. Centers, who lost a house in another tornado. 'I have no plan B.'
狂風襲擊了他們結實的小磚房，打破了一些窗戶，但是房子仍然挺立。儘管有關部門告訴他們，沒電沒水的狀態可能會持續一個月，他們仍然打算待在房子裏。森特斯說，這就是我的全部，我沒有備用方案。森特斯以前的一棟房子就曾在龍捲風中被毀。The Department of Emergency Management said at least three tornadoes touched down Monday in Oklahoma, including in Oklahoma City, Moore and Duncan, but Moore took the hardest hit. The National Weather Service Tuesday afternoon rated the tornado that tore through Moore as an EF-5 with winds in excess of 200 mph. It stretched about 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide, remaining on the ground for about 40 minutes, the agency said.
應急管理部門說，週一俄克拉何馬州至少發生三次龍捲風，受災地區包括俄克拉何馬市、穆爾市和鄧肯(Duncan)，但是穆爾市受災最爲嚴重。美國國家氣象局(National Weather Service)週二下午稱，經過穆爾市的龍捲風屬EF-5級，風速超過每小時200英里（合320公里）。該機構說，龍捲風行駛路徑長17英里，寬1.3英里，在陸地上的時間大約40分鐘。Moore, a city of 56,000 on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, has an infamous history of being battered by twisters, having been struck by significant tornadoes three times--including Monday-- since 1999, according to the National Weather Service.
穆爾市位於俄克拉何馬市郊區，擁有5.6萬人口，歷史上一直是龍捲風的多發地，美國國家氣象局的數據顯示，包括週一的這次，穆爾市自從1999年以來已經遭受了三次大型龍捲風的襲擊。Property-casualty insurance companies are expected to face at least a couple billion dollars of insured losses from the Moore tornado, according to rough calculations by Wall Street analysts, based on damages from other major tornadoes in recent years, including tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2011.
根據華爾街分析師的粗略估計，預計財產保險公司將面臨穆爾市龍捲風造成的至少數十億美元的保險損失，分析師們根據的是最近幾年其他大型龍捲風造成的損失，其中包括2011年密蘇里州喬普林(Joplin)和阿拉巴馬州塔斯卡盧薩(Tuscaloosa)的龍捲風。President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the prayers of the nation are with the people of Oklahoma and vowed to provide as much federal assistance as necessary to help the devastated towns deal with one of the worst tornadoes in history.
美國總統奧巴馬(Barack Obama)週二說，全國人民都在爲俄克拉何馬州的災民祈禱，並承諾將提供必要的聯邦援助，以幫助受災城鎮應對這次歷史上最嚴重的一次龍捲風。
