From VOA Learning English, this is In
the News.
People in Moore, Oklahoma, are starting to rebuild1 after a three-kilometer-wide2 tornado hit3 the city on Monday. Officials say the storm4 killed 24 people in Moore and nearby areas5. More than 200 others were injured6.
President Obama declared a major disaster7 in Oklahoma. His declaration freed up8 federal money to help state officials9 with the recovery effort10.
People in Moore, Oklahoma, are starting to rebuild1 after a three-kilometer-wide2 tornado hit3 the city on Monday. Officials say the storm4 killed 24 people in Moore and nearby areas5. More than 200 others were injured6.
President Obama declared a major disaster7 in Oklahoma. His declaration freed up8 federal money to help state officials9 with the recovery effort10.
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin deployed11 the state
National Guard and extra police to assist with rescue operations12. She described13 the tornado as one of14 the “most horrific” disasters her state has ever faced15.
“In many places, homes were absolutely destroyed16, taken away17. There’s just sticks18 and bricks19, basically. It’s hard to tell20 if there was21 a structure there or not. If you get into22 some of the major neighborhoods23, you can’t tell where the streets were.
“In many places, homes were absolutely destroyed16, taken away17. There’s just sticks18 and bricks19, basically. It’s hard to tell20 if there was21 a structure there or not. If you get into22 some of the major neighborhoods23, you can’t tell where the streets were.
The street signs24 are gone25. And that’s been a big challenge26 for us --
being able to27 determine
which area of a community we might be28
in because the streets are just gone29,
the signs are just gone.”
Weather experts30 say the tornado had wind speeds31 of at least32 322 kilometers an hour. It left a path of destruction33 stretching34 close to35 30 kilometers.
Weather experts30 say the tornado had wind speeds31 of at least32 322 kilometers an hour. It left a path of destruction33 stretching34 close to35 30 kilometers.
The storm flattened36 large parts of Moore, a city of
60,000 people. A record-setting37
tornado hit Moore in May of 1999.
On Monday Alfredo Corrales crowded38 into a small underground shelter39 with his family and a neighbor.
“Me and the neighbor were just40 holding41 on to the hatch42, just to keep43 the door secure. And that wind was blowing over44, and the wind was just sucking up45 on the door.
On Monday Alfredo Corrales crowded38 into a small underground shelter39 with his family and a neighbor.
“Me and the neighbor were just40 holding41 on to the hatch42, just to keep43 the door secure. And that wind was blowing over44, and the wind was just sucking up45 on the door.
And when it was doing that, the rain
was just shooting down46
into the cellar47.”
The storm hit two elementary schools
just as students were preparing to leave48
for the day. Both49
schools were crushed50,
leaving many children trapped51
in the wreckage52.
“It was just thump53, thump and the roof came off54. And then I left something and then it was raining, clay54 on me and all that.”
Rescue workers dug56 through the wreckage and pulled57 several58 children out alive59.
Quick-thinking60 teachers are credited with saving lives by moving students to closed spaces before the storm destroyed the building61. Sherry Biddle teaches at Briarwood. She described how she helped her students protect themselves.
“I had them take their backpacks62 and put them over their heads, just as63 another safety precaution64, as they were down65 in the center of our room, in the center of our building.”
But seven children were killed66 when the tornado destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School.
Susan Pierce is superintendent of Moore public schools. She said many lives were saved because every school followed67 sheltering directions68.
“Our administrators, staff69, teachers and students put our crisis plan into action70 immediately. We monitored the weather throughout71 the day and when it was time72 to shelter, we did just that.”
Oklahoma officials say the current warning system73 provided enough time74 to prepare before the tornado hit. But many people lost everything they owned75.
There is76 debate about whether all schools in Oklahoma should be required77 to have tornado shelters. Some say even the best built78 shelter might not have protected against79 Monday's tornado.
“It was just thump53, thump and the roof came off54. And then I left something and then it was raining, clay54 on me and all that.”
Rescue workers dug56 through the wreckage and pulled57 several58 children out alive59.
Quick-thinking60 teachers are credited with saving lives by moving students to closed spaces before the storm destroyed the building61. Sherry Biddle teaches at Briarwood. She described how she helped her students protect themselves.
“I had them take their backpacks62 and put them over their heads, just as63 another safety precaution64, as they were down65 in the center of our room, in the center of our building.”
But seven children were killed66 when the tornado destroyed Plaza Towers Elementary School.
Susan Pierce is superintendent of Moore public schools. She said many lives were saved because every school followed67 sheltering directions68.
“Our administrators, staff69, teachers and students put our crisis plan into action70 immediately. We monitored the weather throughout71 the day and when it was time72 to shelter, we did just that.”
Oklahoma officials say the current warning system73 provided enough time74 to prepare before the tornado hit. But many people lost everything they owned75.
There is76 debate about whether all schools in Oklahoma should be required77 to have tornado shelters. Some say even the best built78 shelter might not have protected against79 Monday's tornado.
The National Weather Service rated80 the tornado
an EF-5. That is the most powerful
kind81 of storm on the five-level
scale82 that measures83
a tornado’s power. It was the second
deadliest tornado84 in the United States since85 2011, when
161 people were killed in Joplin, Missouri.
Join us next Tuesday more about tornadoes on the VOA Learning English program Science in the News.
That’s In The News. I’m Steve Ember.
Join us next Tuesday more about tornadoes on the VOA Learning English program Science in the News.
That’s In The News. I’m Steve Ember.
Vocabulary
1. starting to rebuild = começando a reconstruir
2. three-kilometer-wide = de 3 km de largura
3. hit = atingiu
4. storm = tempestade
5. nearby areas = áreas vizinhas
6. were injured = ficaram feridos
7. major disaster = grande desastre
8. freed up = liberou
9. state officials = funcionarios do estado
10. recovery effort = esforço de recuperção
11. deployed = posicionou
12. rescue operations = operações de resgate
13. described = descreveu
14. as one of = como um dos
15. her state has ever faced = que o estado dela já enfrentou
16. destroyed = destruido
17. taken away = arrancado(a)
18. sticks = estacas, paus
19. bricks = tijolos
20. It’s hard to tell = é dificil dizer
21. there was = havia
22. get into = entrar
23. neighborhoods = bairros
24. street signs = placas de rua
25. are gone = sumiram
26. challenge = desafio
27. being able to = ser capaz de
28. might be = possa estar
29. are just gone = simplesmente sumiram
30. Weather experts = peritos do clima
31. wind speeds = velocidades de vento
32. at least = pelo menos
33. left a path of destruction = deixou uma trilha de destruição
34. stretching = alongando-se
35. close to = perto de
36. flattened = achatou
37. record-setting = recordista
38. crowded = agrupar-se
39. underground shelter = abrigo subterrâneo
40. just = apenas
41. holding = segurando
42. hatch = alçapão
43. keep = manter
44. blowing over = soprando por cima
45. sucking up = sugando
46. shooting down = abatendo, destruindo
47. cellar = adega, celeiro, porão
48. leave = sair
49. Both = ambas
50. Crushed = esmagadas
51. Trapped = preso(a)
52. Wreckage = destroços
53. Thump = baque, batida
54. roof came off = o telhado veio abaixo
55. clay = barro, argila
56. dug = cavaram
57. pulled = puxaram
58. several = vários(as)
59. alive = vivo(a)
60. Quick-thinking = de pensamento rápido
61. Building = prédio
62. Backpacks = mochilas
63. just as = assim como
64. safety precaution = precaução de segurança
65. were down = foram para baixo
66. children were killed = crianças foram mortas
67. followed = seguiram
68. sheltering direction = instruções para abrigo
69. staff = equipe, pessoal
70. put our crisis plan into action = colocou nosso plano de crise em ação
71. throughout = por todo o
72. when it was time = quando era hora
73. current warning system = atual sistema de alerta
74. provided enough time = forneceu tempo suficiente
75. lost everything they owned = perderam tudo o que possuíam
76. There is = há, existe
77. should be required = deveria ser exigido
78. even the best built = até mesmo o mais bem construido
79. might not have protected against = pode não ter protegido contra
80. rated = classificou
81. the most powerful kind = o tipo mais poderoso
82. five-level scale = escala de cinco niveis
83. measures = mede
84. the second deadliest tornado = o Segundo tornado mais mortal
85. since = desde
