纽约持续从“超级飓风”灾后复苏 New York Continues to Recover

PlayBar
03 November, 2012

就在桑迪超级飓风重创美国东岸地区之后,许多纽约市民星期六仍然没有电,没有暖气,也缺乏食物。一些纽约市民感到吃惊的是,彭博市长在许多纽约居民现在处于迫切需要时刻,却仍然决定按原计划举办星期日的纽约马拉松比赛。不过,彭博星期五改变了他最初的决定。

纽约邮报报导说,他们发现马拉松比赛的官员为这次比赛囤积了一批物资,而这些物资本来可以用来援助这次风灾的灾民。

纽约邮报指出,在囤积的物资当中包括41个发电机。这些发电机可以用来为一些住宅发电。另外还有几百个临时厕所,饮用水等等。

彭博市长将这次马拉松比赛同2001年9月11日纽约世贸中心遭受恐怖攻击之后举办的马拉松比赛相比。但是2001年的纽约马拉松比赛是在恐怖袭击发生了两个月之后举行的,而这次马拉松比赛距离桑迪飓风横扫纽约地区不到一个星期。

据初步估计,桑迪飓风对美国东岸造成的损失在200亿美元到500亿美元之间。而企业每关闭一天,就为这个地区带来大约2亿美元的经济损失。

尽管美国东岸受灾地区设法恢复正常,它们仍然面临许多挑战。

许多地铁系统仍然在有限运作。一些油站因为缺乏电力供应而无法提供加油服务。新泽西州“卑尔根纪录报”的报导说,火车客运和货运的服务可能要一个月或者更长的时间才能全面恢复正常。

美国汽车协会说,新泽西州百分之60的油站,纽约长岛地区的百分之70油站仍然关闭。

美国政府星期五表示,国防部将专门为灾区购买2千2百万加仑的汽油运送到这些地区,缓解燃油短缺的问题。

美国政府也表示,允许外国船只协助将燃油从美国的一个港口运往另外一个港口。这种做法在正常情况下是不合法的。

Many New Yorkers Saturday are still without critical resources, including power, heat and food, in the wake of the devastation caused by "superstorm" Sandy that thrashed the U.S. East Coast.

Some New Yorkers were surprised that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had initially given the go-ahead for Sunday's New York Marathon, when so many of the city's residents are in dire need.  Bloomberg reversed his decision Friday, saying he did not want a "cloud" to hang over the race or its participants.

A New York newspaper says it discovered race officials were hoarding supplies for the race that could have been used for Sandy's victims.

The New York Post said among the resources stashed away were 41 power generators that could have provided electricity for homes, hundreds of portable toilets, pallets of water and dozens of coffee brewers.

Mayor Bloomberg compared having the race to the 2001 Marathon after the September 11 terror attack on the World Trade Center.  But, that race came two months after the attack.  Sandy struck the city less than a week ago.

Preliminary estimates have put the total cost of the storm for the east coast at between $20 billion and $50 billion.  And each day businesses remain closed reduces the region's economic output by about $200 million.

Although affected parts of the U.S. East Coast are trying to get back to business as usual, many challenges remain.

Many transit systems are still operating on limited schedules, and many gas stations are not able to operate because they still do not have power. A report in New Jersey's Bergen Record newspaper says it could be a month or more before train service to New York is fully restored.

The American Automobile Association ((a nationwide motor club)) says about 60 percent of gas stations in New Jersey and about 70 percent of those on New York's Long Island are closed.