《經濟學人》雙語：美國肯塔基州龍捲風災害
原文標題
Kentucky’s tornado
The long road back
Recovering from natural disasters is easier if you’re already strong
肯塔基州的龍捲風
漫漫長路
如果你本身很強，那麼從自然災害中恢復就會更容易
The tornado damage in Kentucky could take decades to repair
Cities must act fast to take advantage of support while they can
肯塔基州的龍捲風破壞可能需要幾十年才能修復
城市必須迅速行動，儘可能利用各方支援
Paragraph 1：
AT THE FIRST Baptist Ministries Centre in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky, a huge cross used to be visible through a large window overlooking the crossroads. Now it stands, perilously, in the open air.
在肯塔基州，曾經透過一扇俯瞰十字路口的大窗戶，可以看到梅菲爾德鎮中心的第一浸信會牧師中心裡的巨大十字架。現在它危險地處於露天之中。
The entire rest of the front of the building, as well as much of the roof, was torn off by a tornado on the night of December 10th, which flattened a large part of the rest of the town.
12月10日晚，整座建築的前部以及大部分屋頂被龍捲風刮掉，該龍捲風將該鎮的大部分地區夷為平地。
On December 14th, the congregation were serving coffee and breakfast buns to passers-by out of the shell.
12月14日，會眾們在房屋空骨架裡向路人提供咖啡和早餐麵包。
“It has been an experience”, said Debbie Fowler, a 68-year-old parishioner whose son is the pastor. “We were so sick at heart to see it, it’s devastating.”
68歲的教區居民黛比·福勒（她的兒子是牧師）說：“這次經歷是毀滅性的，看到這一切，我們心裡非常難受。”
But, she says, the town will come back. “It won’t look the same, but the people will be the same. This is a close-knit community”, she says.
但是，她說：“小鎮會回來的。雖然小鎮會看起來不一樣，但人們還是一樣的。因為這是一個聯絡緊密團結的社群。”
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The tornado that hit Mayfield was the worst to have hit America since one destroyed much of Joplin, Missouri, in 2011.
自2011年的龍捲風以來（摧毀密蘇里州喬普林大部分地區），這次襲擊梅菲爾德的龍捲風是美國最嚴重的一次。
As well as tearing up Mayfield, it wrecked buildings in five other states across the Midwest and South.
它不僅摧毀了梅菲爾德，還摧毀了中西部和南部其他五個州的建築。
By December 15th, 88 people were known to have been killed, 74 of whom were in Kentucky. Dozens more were still missing, while hundreds have been made homeless.
截至12月15日，已有88人死亡，其中74人在肯塔基州。還有幾十人失蹤，數百人無家可歸。
Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, described it as the “worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event” in his state’s history.
肯塔基州州長安迪·貝希爾將其描述為該州歷史上“最嚴重、最具破壞性、最致命的龍捲風事件”。
On December 15th Joe Biden visited Mayfield to survey the damage himself, and announced federal aid to cover the costs of rebuilding.
12月15日，喬·拜登總統親自前往梅菲爾德調查災情，並宣佈聯邦援助以支付重建費用。
And yet recovery from natural disasters is rarely easy.
然而，從自然災後重建並非易事。
The population of New Orleans is still 20% lower today than it was before Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
今天新奧爾良的人口仍然比2005年卡特里娜颶風前減少了20%。
Many smaller towns like Mayfield have struggled to retain population even without tornadoes.
許多像梅菲爾德這樣的小城鎮即使沒有龍捲風也難以留住人口。
Will it really bounce back?
它真的會重新振作起來嗎？
Paragraph 3:
When your correspondent arrived, volunteers from all over Kentucky, and even further afield, had set up stalls to hand out food, water and other essentials.
當記者到達時，來自肯塔基州各地，甚至更遠的地方的志願者已經擺好攤位，分發食物、水和其他必需品。
Fire departments were busy clearing the roads. Generators had been hauled in to provide power.
消防部門正忙於清理道路。發電機被拉進來供電。
“The town is not going to quit because of this,” says John Darnell, who drove in from his home in a neighbouring county to drop off supplies. “They’re too resourceful.”
約翰·達內爾（他從鄰縣的家開車來這裡送補給品。）說：“小鎮不會因為這次災難而放棄。他們的資源很豐富。”
And yet volunteers rushing in is not the main determinant of how easily somewhere recovers.
然而，志願者的湧入並不是決定某個地方快速恢復重建的主要因素。
Sam Anselm, who was assistant city manager in Joplin when it was hit, says the town got a lot of donations of clothes and toys, and then had to find space to store them.
山姆·安瑟姆（喬普林市被龍捲風襲擊時的城市助理主管）他說，該鎮收到了大量捐贈的衣服和玩具，然後不得不找地方存放它們。
“Really what we needed was a gift card or cheque”, he says.
他說：“我們真正需要的是一張禮品卡或支票。”
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What matters more is having a good plan, says Elaina Sutley, who studies disaster recovery at the University of Kansas.
研究勘薩斯大學災後重建的伊萊娜·薩特利說，更重要的是要有一個好的規劃。
A well-organised local government can marshall an enormous amount of federal and state resources.
一個組織能力強的地方政府可以安排大量的聯邦和各州資源。
But smaller towns often do not have the ready expertise to work out which grants to apply for, or what to do with them.
但小城鎮往往沒有現成的專業知識來決定申請哪些救援補助金，或者如何處理這些資金。
Political conflict can stifle the ability to use money well.
政治衝突會扼殺呼叫資金的能力。
“There is a window of opportunity that does not last very long after each disaster,” she says.
她說：“每次災難發生後，機會視窗不會持續很久。”
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Sadly, as in so many things, a town’s existing wealth is an important factor.
可悲的是，正如許多事情一樣，一個城鎮現有的財富是一個重要因素。
Where most residents affected are homeowners and decently insured, they can often recover quickly, by enlisting private sector resources to rebuild their homes.
在大多數受影響的居民都是房主並且有適當的保險，他們通常可以透過徵募私營部門的資源重建家園而迅速恢復。
Poorer places, with lots of renters, are more likely to suffer permanently, as people whose homes are damaged leave.
由於房屋受損的人離開，居住在較貧窮、租客較多的地方更可能遭受永久性的損失。
What you sometimes see, says Ms Sutley, is that “some pieces of the town look really great, and other parts get left behind.”
薩特利女士說，你有時看到的是“這個城市的一些地方看起來真的很棒，而其他地方卻被拋在了後面。”
Joplin has largely recovered, partly thanks to decent leadership, but also because its housing stock was well-insured.
喬普林在很大程度上已經恢復了元氣，這部分要歸功於能力強的領導才能，但也因為它的住房存量得到了很好的保障。
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Whether Mayfield will thrive is yet to be seen.
梅菲爾德是否會重建繁榮還有待觀察。
The median household income in the town is just $32,200, much lower than the national figure of $67,500. Poverty will prove a challenge.
該鎮家庭收入中位數僅為3.22萬美元，遠低於全國的6.75萬美元。貧窮將是一個挑戰。
At a community centre shelter in Wingo, a town around 10 miles away, one evacuee, Evonda Murdock, says this is the second time she has been forced to move recently.
在10英里外的溫戈鎮的一個社群中心避難所，一名撤離者埃文達·默多克說，這是她最近第二次被迫搬家。
A few months before, her landlord had evicted her and her son, forcing them to live in a hotel. “I don’t know what we are going to do now”, she says.
幾個月前，她的房東驅逐了她和她的兒子，迫使他們住在旅館裡。她說：“我不知道我們現在該怎麼辦了。”
America has an enormous amount of compassion when catastrophe arrives. But more day-to-day support for the vulnerable would help too.
當災難來臨時，美國有著巨大的同情心。但更多的對弱勢群體的日常支援也會有所幫助。
（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞彙量787左右）
原文出自：2021年12月18日《The Economist》United States版塊。
精讀筆記來源於：自由英語之路
本文翻譯整理：Irene
本文編輯校對：Irene
僅供個人英語學習交流使用。
【補充資料】（來源於網路）
【重點句子】（3個）
This is a close-knit community.
這是一個聯絡緊密團結的社群。
Will it really bounce back?
它真的會重新振作嗎？
There is a window of opportunity that does not last very long after each disaster.
每次災難發生後，機會視窗不會持續很久。
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