环球英语 — 104： Disaster Relief

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Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight 1 program. I’m Ryan Geertsma.

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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

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In November of 2007, a terrible storm happened in Bangladesh. The wind blew at two hundred forty [240] kilometers an hour. A huge wave, more than six meters high, caused floods and destroyed crops. The storm lasted for many hours.

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This cyclone 2, called cyclone Sidr destroyed thousands of villages. Millions of people lost their homes. Most of the country’s crops were ruined. And more than three thousand [3,000] people died.

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Big storms happen every year in many parts of the world. They have different names - some are called typhoons 3, others are called hurricanes 5 or cyclones 6, and some are just called tropical 7 storms. When the storms reach land, they cause a lot of damage. Often, they become natural disasters.

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Another example is Hurricane 4 Katrina, in 2005. Hurricane Katrina is one of the worst storms to ever happen in the United 8 States. It destroyed a large part of the city of New Orleans. One thousand five hundred [1,500] people died.

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For countries like Bangladesh or communities like New Orleans, it can be very difficult to recover from such a major storm. Many people are left without homes. Even more do not have enough food. It is difficult to travel. And sickness often becomes a big problem.

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The cost of rebuilding after such a storm can be very high. Experts estimate 9 that cyclone Sidr cost more than nine hundred million dollars [$900,000,000]. And Hurricane Katrina cost more than eighty two thousand million dollars [$82,000,000,000].

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So how can a country or community recover from such a terrible storm? Most countries do not have the resources 10 to provide food and shelter 11 to all those who have lost their homes and food. Often, they cannot even reach those who need help the most, because roads and bridges have been destroyed.

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Survivors 13 of cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh were left without food, water, or shelter for many days. One survivor 12 said,

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“We have no food. We are trying to survive by eating almost anything we can find.”

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Thankfully, there are groups that can help when such a natural disaster happens. Aid organizations around the world collect money, food, medical supplies and other resources to help the affected 14 areas. Thousand of workers travel to the country or community that needs help.

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Some organizations collect goods from businesses. These businesses often give their goods away for free, to help the victims 15 of the disaster. Organizations like International Aid, in the United States, send medical supplies, water, and food to countries affected by a natural disaster.

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Other organizations send workers into the affected areas. These aid workers can organize the supply of food, medicine and medical help, right there, where it is needed. And they can even help build new homes or shelters 16 for people who lost their homes in the storm.

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Many aid organizations from around the world sent workers, supplies, food, and water to Bangladesh after the cyclone. But many people felt that the help was not enough. Even some of the aid workers admitted that they could not help everyone.

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“Many people are very hungry here, but we do not have enough resources to help them all. We will be able to provide food for everyone in the future, but it may take a long time.”

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After a disaster, it is often difficult for aid organizations to decide whom they should help first. Everyone who is affected needs help in some way. But there are always some people who need more help than others.

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“We need to target our aid and make sure it reaches the people who really need it.”

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Still, the help that these organizations provided 17 saved thousands of lives in Bangladesh. The time, money, and resources that they provide help to save millions of lives every year.

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In Bangladesh, many local people also gave small amounts of money to help those who lost their homes or who needed food. Many did not have much money to give, but they still wanted to help.

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“I gave a small amount of money because it is all I could give. They are like our brothers and sisters, so I should help.”

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Other people would say their desire to help comes from their religion. Their religion teaches that they should help people in need. For example, Christians 18 know that Jesus said that helping 19 people in need shows love to God.

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Jesus told his followers 20: “God will say, ‘Come to me, and join me in heaven - because I was hungry and you gave me food. I needed water and you gave me a drink. I needed shelter and you took me in. I had no clothes and you gave me clothes. I was sick and you cared for me...’ ‘All these things that you did for people in need, you did for me.’”

[Bible, Matthew 25:35]

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There are many reasons that drive people to get involved. And there are many ways to get involved. International organizations like The Red Cross and the United Nations World Food Programme accept gifts of money for those who need help. Many other organizations need people to give their time to help bring food and supplies to affected areas.

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But, what if you cannot travel around the world to help in a big disaster? What if you cannot give your money? Well, you can still help in your own community. There are people in need in every place, even without a natural disaster. Some need food or shelter. Others just need a friend. And even a little help can make a big difference.

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Maybe you wanted to help in a disaster. Maybe you wanted to get involved with an international aid organization. But time went by, the disaster stopped being in the news, and you never followed it through! We put some links on the script 21 page for this program on our website. The links lead to other websites that can help you get involved. The more you know, the more you can help - next time!