原文标题Kentucky’s tornadoThe long road backRecovering from natural disasters is easier if you’re already strong肯塔基州的龙卷风漫漫长路如果你本身很强，那么从自然灾害中恢复就会更容易The tornado damage in Kentucky could take decades to repairCities must act fast to take advantage of support while they can肯塔基州的龙卷风破坏可能需要几十年才能修复城市必须迅速行动，尽可能利用各方支援
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，曾经通过一扇俯瞰十字路口的大窗户，可以看到梅菲尔德镇中心的第一浸信会牧师中心里的巨大十字架。现在它危险地处于露天之中。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，整座建筑的前部以及大部分屋顶被龙卷风刮掉，该龙卷风将该镇的大部分地区夷为平地。On December 14th, the congregation were serving coffee and breakfast buns to passers-by out of the shell. 12月14日，会众们在房屋空骨架里向路人提供咖啡和早餐面包。“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岁的教区居民黛比·福勒（她的儿子是牧师）说：“这次经历是毁灭性的，看到这一切，我们心里非常难受。”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，她说：“小镇会回来的。虽然小镇会看起来不一样，但人们还是一样的。因为这是一个联系紧密团结的社区。”
Paragraph 2:The tornado that hit Mayfield was the worst to have hit America since one destroyed much of Joplin, Missouri, in 2011. 自2011年的龙卷风以来（摧毁密苏里州乔普林大部分地区），这次袭击梅菲尔德的龙卷风是美国最严重的一次。As well as tearing up Mayfield, it wrecked buildings in five other states across the Midwest and South. 它不仅摧毁了梅菲尔德，还摧毁了中西部和南部其他五个州的建筑。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。还有几十人失踪，数百人无家可归。Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s governor, described it as the “worst, most devastating, most deadly tornado event” in his state’s history. 肯塔基州州长安迪·贝希尔将其描述为该州历史上“最严重、最具破坏性、最致命的龙卷风事件”。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，乔·拜登总统亲自前往梅菲尔德调查灾情，并宣布联邦援助以支付重建费用。And yet recovery from natural disasters is rarely easy. 然而，从自然灾后重建并非易事。The population of New Orleans is still 20% lower today than it was before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 今天新奥尔良的人口仍然比2005年卡特里娜飓风前减少了20%。Many smaller towns like Mayfield have struggled to retain population even without tornadoes. 许多像梅菲尔德这样的小城镇即使没有龙卷风也难以留住人口。Will it really bounce back?它真的会重新振作起来吗？
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. 当记者到达时，来自肯塔基州各地，甚至更远的地方的志愿者已经摆好摊位，分发食物、水和其他必需品。Fire departments were busy clearing the roads. Generators had been hauled in to provide power. 消防部门正忙于清理道路。发电机被拉进来供电。“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.” 约翰·达内尔（他从邻县的家开车来这里送补给品。）说：“小镇不会因为这次灾难而放弃。他们的资源很丰富。”And yet volunteers rushing in is not the main determinant of how easily somewhere recovers. 然而，志愿者的涌入并不是决定某个地方快速恢复重建的主要因素。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（乔普林市被龙卷风袭击时的城市助理主管）他说，该镇收到了大量捐赠的衣服和玩具，然后不得不找地方存放它们。“Really what we needed was a gift card or cheque”, he says.他说：“我们真正需要的是一张礼品卡或支票。”Paragraph 4:What matters more is having a good plan, says Elaina Sutley, who studies disaster recovery at the University of Kansas. 研究勘萨斯大学灾后重建的伊莱娜·萨特利说，更重要的是要有一个好的规划。A well-organised local government can marshall an enormous amount of federal and state resources. 一个组织能力强的地方政府可以安排大量的联邦和各州资源。But smaller towns often do not have the ready expertise to work out which grants to apply for, or what to do with them. 但小城镇往往没有现成的专业知识来决定申请哪些救援补助金，或者如何处理这些资金。Political conflict can stifle the ability to use money well. 政治冲突会扼杀调用资金的能力。“There is a window of opportunity that does not last very long after each disaster,” she says.她说：“每次灾难发生后，机会窗口不会持续很久。”Paragraph 5:Sadly, as in so many things, a town’s existing wealth is an important factor. 可悲的是，正如许多事情一样，一个城镇现有的财富是一个重要因素。Where most residents affected are homeowners and decently insured, they can often recover quickly, by enlisting private sector resources to rebuild their homes. 在大多数受影响的居民都是房主并且有适当的保险，他们通常可以通过征募私营部门的资源重建家园而迅速恢复。Poorer places, with lots of renters, are more likely to suffer permanently, as people whose homes are damaged leave. 由于房屋受损的人离开，居住在较贫穷、租客较多的地方更可能遭受永久性的损失。What you sometimes see, says Ms Sutley, is that “some pieces of the town look really great, and other parts get left behind.” 萨特利女士说，你有时看到的是“这个城市的一些地方看起来真的很棒，而其他地方却被抛在了后面。”Joplin has largely recovered, partly thanks to decent leadership, but also because its housing stock was well-insured.乔普林在很大程度上已经恢复了元气，这部分要归功于能力强的领导才能，但也因为它的住房存量得到了很好的保障。Paragraph 6:Whether Mayfield will thrive is yet to be seen. 梅菲尔德是否会重建繁荣还有待观察。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. 该镇家庭收入中位数仅为3.22万美元，远低于全国的6.75万美元。贫穷将是一个挑战。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英里外的温戈镇的一个社区中心避难所，一名撤离者埃文达·默多克说，这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. 几个月前，她的房东驱逐了她和她的儿子，迫使他们住在旅馆里。她说：“我不知道我们现在该怎么办了。”America has an enormous amount of compassion when catastrophe arrives. But more day-to-day support for the vulnerable would help too. 当灾难来临时，美国有着巨大的同情心。但更多的对弱势群体的日常支持也会有所帮助。（恭喜读完，本篇英语词汇量787左右）原文出自：2021年12月18日《The Economist》United States版块。精读笔记来源于：自由英语之路本文翻译整理：Irene本文编辑校对：Irene仅供个人英语学习交流使用。
【补充资料】（来源于网络）
【重点句子】（3个）This is a close-knit community.这是一个联系紧密团结的社区。Will it really bounce back?它真的会重新振作吗？There is a window of opportunity that does not last very long after each disaster.每次灾难发生后，机会窗口不会持续很久。
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