[自然探索] International Red Cross Helps Victims of Natural Disasters

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By Jerilyn Watson and Shelley Gollust
2008-5-20

VOICE ONE:
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. International aid organizations are helping survivors of two disasters this month -- a severe storm in Burma and a major earthquake in China. Today we tell about one of these organizations, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
On May second, a severe storm hit the Irrawaddy Delta area of Burma. High winds, heavy rain and floodwaters killed tens of thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands of homes were damaged. The secretary-general of the Red Cross Federation, Markus Niskala, says Cyclone Nargis has affected as many as two million people. He says they lack shelter, food, clean water and health care.
VOICE TWO:
About twenty-seven thousand Red Cross volunteers in Burma began helping the survivors immediately after the cyclone hit. They gave supplies to people in emergency shelters. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has sent tons of supplies and equipment to Burma's Red Cross. The organization said Burma's Red Cross was working without delay to help people in need.
The International Red Cross says clean water is urgently needed to prevent diseases from spreading. The organization launched an appeal for fifty-one million dollars to help five hundred thousand victims of the storm over the next three years.
VOICE ONE:
Pressure continues on Burma's military-ruled government to accept foreign help for survivors of Cyclone Nargis. On Monday, the government said it would let aid workers from Southeast Asian nations enter the country.
Reports say the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expects to double its emergency aid to the area this week. It has asked for five airplanes to fly supplies from Malaysia to Burma. Each plane has forty tons of supplies.