Objective Proficiency p 24. Superstorm Sandy. Extra Listening

At the same time that the 1_________ and destruction of Superstorm Sandy continue, the death 2_______ rises to over 30. There are many buildings flooded, the transport is 3__________ and the damage will cost millions of dollars. The storm 4_________ north as the 5__________ begins.
New Jersey is one of the states that has been particularly 6__________/ _________. President Obama will go there tomorrow. Today he has warned of more bad weather to come. "The storm is not yet over. We have 7___________ from the National Hurricane Centre, it is still moving north, there are still communities that could be affected."
Superstorm Sandy has been reported to be 8___________/ ___________ conditions over several States after leaving a 9_________ of damage and destruction on the eastern 10_____________. Emergency teams have been dealing with fires, heavy rain, flooding and a massive 11________/ ___________.
Up to now Sandy has 12__________ at least 30 lives. New York and New Jersey suffered 13______________ devastation. President Obama has declared a major disaster in New York and has cancelled another day of campaign 14_____________.
The destructive power of the Superstorm 15______________ after dark as Sandy 16__________/ _____________. The flooding was 17_______________, the 18__________ shocking. The storm arrived with the 19_______/ _________ in New York Harbour. The subways and tunnels flooded, water 20______________the construction 21_________ at Ground Zero. Lower Manhattan was 22________/ _______ darkness. Electricity generators exploded in spectacular 23________.
A hospital had to evacuate the patients because it lost power when its generator 24___________ . This huge 25___________ in Queens started in the 26___________ of the flood. On Staten Island, the force 27_________ a boat on shore.
"Make no mistake about it, this was a devastating storm, maybe the worst we have ever experienced. Our  28________/ ____________ have been doing a heroic job, protecting our city and saving lives, and they are still fighting fires and conducting live saving search-and-rescue missions. And we owe them  an enormous debt of gratitude".
Americans' nightmare has become real. On Manhattan's Lower East Side this morning, they are 29________/ _________ what happened.
It is a 30_______________ scene, cars 31__________ down the avenue by the force of the water, 32.__________ everywhere.
In Manhattan this morning, the 33_____________ waters rose once again.
This tunnel has been completely and 34_________ flooded, giving you some idea of the damage the Superstorm did and the massive 35_________ it is still causing.
New York's transport system is 36___________. There are no subways or buses and the flooded tunnels are closed. The 37_____________ floor is empty on Wall Street for a second day. Thousands are without power, the city is just beginning the 38__________ task of cleaning up. As the storm 39________ North, 40____________ New Yorkers are left waiting for the waters to 41___________. New York which 42___________ the 9/11 attacks must now recover from the 43__________ of the Superstorm.
The President held a news conference at the 44____________ of the American Red Cross in Washington.
"I want to emphasise, there are still risks of flooding, there are still risks of 45__________ power lines, risks of high winds, so it is very important for the public to continue to 46___________ the situation in your local community. Listen to your state and local 47____________, follow instructions. The better prepared individual families are for the situation, the easier it is for us to deal with it..."
KEY
1. misery



2. toll (death toll the number of people killed in an accident, a war, a disaster, etc. E.g. The death toll has now risen to 200.)



3. disabled (inoperative)



4. heads



5. clear-up (the process of removing rubbish and tidying things. E.g. a massive clear-up operation)



6. hard hit



7. briefings (the detailed instructions or information that are given at a meeting. E.g. Captain Trent gave his men a full briefing. A briefing session/paper.)



8. unleashing blizzard 
Unleash /ʌnˈliːʃ / something (on/upon somebody/something) to suddenly let a strong force, emotion, etc. be felt or have an effect. Sp. soltar, desencadenar, desatar. E.g. The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 
Blizzard: a snowstorm with very strong winds. Sp. ventisca, tormenta de nieve. E.g. blizzard conditions. 



9. trail 



10. seaboard (the part of a country that is along its coast. Sp. Litoral, costa. E.g. Australia's eastern seaboard)



11. sea surge (surge a sudden, strong forward or upward movement. Sp. ola, oleaje, oleada. E.g. a tidal surge)



12. claimed (claim something (of a disaster, an accident, etc.) to cause somebody's death. Sp. se cobró. E.g. The car crash claimed three lives.)



13. unprecedented /ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ that has never happened, been done or been known before.
E.g. The situation is unprecedented in modern times. There were unprecedented scenes of violence in the city's main square.



14.  rallies (rally a large public meeting, especially one held to support a particular idea or political party. Sp mitin, concentración. E.g. to attend/hold a rally. A peace/protest, etc. rally.)



15. unleashed (Unleash /ʌnˈliːʃ / something (on/upon somebody/something) to suddenly let a strong force, emotion, etc. be felt or have an effect. Sp. soltar, desencadenar, desatar. E.g. The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press.)



16. made landfall 



17. instant 



18. scale (the size or extent of something. E.g. It was not until morning that the sheer scale of the damage could be seen (= how great it was).) 



19. high tide 



20. engulfed (engulf /ɪnˈɡʌlf/ to surround or to cover somebody/something completely. Sp. envolver, sepultar. E.g. He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. The vehicle was engulfed in flames.) 



21. site (a place where a building, town, etc. was, is or will be located. E.g. the site of a sixteenth century abbey. To work on a building/ construction site) 



22. plunged into (to experience something unpleasant. E.g. The country plunged deeper into recession.)



23. fashion (in (a)… fashion: (formal) in a particular way. E.g. How could they behave in such a fashion? She was proved right, in dramatic fashion, when the whole department resigned.) 



24. failed 



25. blaze (a very large fire, especially a dangerous one) 



26. aftermath (/ˈɑːftəmæθ/ the situation that exists as a result of an important (and usually unpleasant) event, especially a war, an accident, etc. Sp. tras, repercusiones. E.g. A lot of rebuilding took place in the aftermath of the war. The assassination of the Prime Minister and its immediate aftermath.



27. tossed (toss: to throw something lightly or carelessly. Sp. tirar, lanzar. E.g. I tossed the book aside and got up. He tossed the ball to Anna. He tossed Anna the ball.



28. first responders (a person such as a member of the police or fire department in a position to arrive first at an emergency, who has been trained to give basic medical treatment. E.g. first responder training. Citizen/ community first responders (= members of the public who have had special training for emergencies)



29. reeling from ( reel (at/from/with something) to feel very shocked or upset about something. E.g. I was still reeling from the shock. Sp. todavía no me había recuperado)



30. post-apocalyptic (apocalyptic /əˌpɒkəˈlɪptɪk/ describing very serious damage and destruction in past or future events. E.g. an apocalyptic view of history. Apocalyptic warnings of the end of society.) 



31. swept (sweep somebody/something + adverb/preposition to move or push somebody/something suddenly and with a lot of force. Sp. arrastrar. E.g. The little boat was swept out to sea. Their tent was swept away in the storm. She let herself be swept along by the crowd.)



32. debris /ˈdeɪbriː/ /ˈdebriː/ pieces of wood, metal, brick, etc. that are left after something has been destroyed. Sp. escombros, restos. E.g. Emergency teams are still clearing the debris from the plane crash. Several people were injured by flying debris in the explosion.



33. swollen (swell, past swelled, p.p. swollen or swelled to increase or make something increase in number or size. E.g. Last year's profits were swelled by a fall in production costs.)



34. utterly (completely)



35. disruption (to make it difficult for something to continue in the normal way. E.g. Bus services will be disrupted tomorrow because of the bridge closure.) 



36. paralysed 



37. trading (the activity of buying and selling things. E.g. new laws on Sunday trading (= shops being open on Sundays). Supermarkets everywhere reported excellent trading in the run-up to Christmas. Shares worth $8 million changed hands during a day of hectic trading.)



38. arduous



39. bends (bend, bent, bent)



40. harrowed (distressed, upset and anxious. Looking as if you have suffered E.g. his face was harrowed)



41. recede (/rɪˈsiːd/ (to move gradually away from somebody or away from a previous position. Sp. retirarse, retroceder. The sound of the truck receded into the distance.She watched his receding figure.) 



42. endured (endure /ɪnˈdjʊə(r)/ to experience and deal with something that is painful or unpleasant, especially without complaining. bear. Sp. soportar. E.g. The pain was almost too great to endure.) 



43. wrath (/rɒθ/ /ræθ/ extreme anger)



44. headquarters (a place from which an organization or a military operation is controlled. Sp. sede, oficina central) 



45. downed (down somebody/something to force somebody/something down to the ground. Sp. tumbar, derribar. E.g. to down a plane. Storms downed trees and power lines. 



46. monitor (/ˈmɒnɪtə(r)/ to watch and check something over a period of time in order to see how it develops, so that you can make any necessary changes. Track. Sp. observar, seguir. E.g. Each student's progress is closely monitored)



47. officials (official /əˈfɪʃl/ a person who is in a position of authority in a large organization. E.g. a bank/company/court/government official)


 

Transcript
The misery and destruction of Superstorm Sandy continue as the death toll rises to more than 30. Buildings flooded, transport disabled and millions of dollars of damage. The storm heads north as the clear-up begins.
The State of New Jersey is particularly hard hit. Ahead of the visit there tomorrow, President Obama warns of more bad weather to come. "The storm is not yet over. We have briefings from the National Hurricane Centre, it is still moving north, there are still communities that could be affected."
Superstorm Sandy is now reported to be unleashing blizzard conditions over several American States after leaving a trail of damage and destruction on the eastern seaboard. Emergency teams have been dealing with fires, heavy rain, flooding and a massive sea surge.
Sandy has so far claimed at least 30 lives. New York and New Jersey suffered what local officials are calling unprecedented devastation. President Obama has declared a major disaster in New York and has cancelled another day of campaign rallies.
After 8 million people across the region began the day without power and it could be days before the situation returns to anything like normal.
The destructive power of the Superstorm unleashed after dark as Sandy made landfall. The flooding was instant, the scale shocking. The storm arrived with the high tide in New York Harbour, creating a surge of nearly 14 feet. Subways and tunnels flooded, the water engulfed the construction site at Ground Zero. Lower Manhattan was plunged into darkness. Electricity generators exploded in spectacular fashion. Many cars were damaged by falling trees, fell by the high winds.
Patients were evacuated from a hospital which lost power when its generator failed. This huge blaze in Queens started in the aftermath of the flood. More than 80 houses were destroyed by the fire. Incredibly only a few people were injured. On Staten Island, the force tossed a boat on shore.
"Make no mistake about it, this was a devastating storm, maybe the worst we have ever experienced. Our first responders have been doing a heroic job, protecting our city and saving lives, and they are still fighting fires and conducting live saving search-and-rescue missions. And we owe them  an enormous debt of gratitude".
Americans woke up to find their nightmare proved all too real. On Manhattan's Lower East Side this morning, they are reeling from what happened. "It was like being paralysed because there is nothing you can do. The water is just going to come. You can't stop it. It is too strong. So you have to just stand there and let it happen."
It is a post-apocalyptic scene, cars swept down the avenue by the force of the water, debris everywhere. This woman cannot believe what she saw. "Here last night was hell. A lot of water, cars, like I said, floating all over, the transmissions blowing up."
Manhattan is unnaturally quiet today. A high tide this morning, the swollen waters rose once again.
This tunnel has been completely and utterly flooded, giving you some idea of the damage the Superstorm did and the massive disruption it is still causing.
New York's transport system is paralysed. No subways or buses, the flooded tunnels closed. The trading floor is empty on Wall Street for a second day. Thousands are without power, the city is just beginning arduous task of cleaning up. As the storm bends North, harrowed New Yorkers are left waiting for the waters to recede. The city which endured the 9/11 attacks must now recover from the wrath of the Superstorm.
President Obama held a news conference at the headquarters of the American Red Cross in Washington.
"It is not yet over. We have had briefings from the National Hurricane Centre, it is still moving north, there are still communities that could be affected. I want to emphasise, there are still risks of flooding, there are still risks of downed power lines, risks of high winds, so it is very important for the public to continue to monitor the situation in your local community. Listen to your state and local officials, follow instructions, the more you follow instructions, the easier it is for our first responders to make sure that they are dealing with true emergency situations. The better prepared individual families are for the situation, the easier it is for us to deal with it..."