Always vulnerable, the city is increasingly susceptible to fire
The five fires that on January 9th were still blazing in and around Los Angeles were already among the most destructive in California's history. The scale is staggering, even for a State accustomed to natural disasters. Roughly 130,000 people were told to leave their homes; 2,000 buildings have been destroyed. Because wildfires have come to seem more like a certainty than a risk here, a lot will not be insured. State Farm, an insurer, decided not to renew 70% of its policies in Pacific Palisades, one of the worst-hit areas.
ABC Los Angeles reckons this has left 1,600 homes there uninsured. Fire crews faced an uneven fight: in the small hours of the morning the neighbourhood fire hydrants ran dry. People abandoned their cars and fled on foot as the flames approached. Firefighters then bulldozed their vehicles to reach the blaze. Workers evacuated patients in wheelchairs from a nursing home. The sky above the Pacific Coast Highway turned orange and thickened with smoke. Palm fronds smouldered. Extreme winds sparked several firestorms across Los Angeles beginning on January 7th. Nine months without measurable rainfall had primed the city to burn.
It did not take long for a natural disaster to become a political one. Donald Trump blamed California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, arguing that he diverted water from Californians to protect an endangered fish, a reference to a new plan to manage water in the Colorado river delta, which has no bearing on firefighting in LA.
The ordeal reminds Angelenos of their vulnerability. At any given time Los Angeles is at risk of fire, flood, extreme heat, mudslides and earthquakes. "Los Angeles weather is the weather of catastrophe, of apocalypse" wrote Joan Didion in 1969, in an essay about the Santa Anas. The violent winds "affect the entire quality of life in Los Angeles, accentuate its impermanence, its unreliability. The wind shows us how close to the edge we are".
- vulnerable adj.脆弱的
- destructive adj.破坏性的
- susceptible adj.易受影响的
- staggering adj.惊人的
- insure v. 投保
- fire hydrant n.消防栓
- bulldoze v.推开
- thicken v. 变浓
- frond n. 叶状体
- smoulder v.闷烧
- measurable adj.可测量的
- rainfall n.降雨量
- divert v.转移用途
- bearing n.关系
- ordeal n.磨难
- accentuate v.凸显
- apocalypse n.大灾变
- impermanence n.无常
Always vulnerable, the city is increasingly susceptible to fire
这座城市始终是脆弱的，越来越容易受到火灾的威胁
始终脆弱，这座城市如今对火灾愈发敏感。
The five fires that on January 9th were still blazing in and around Los Angeles were already among the most destructive in California's history. The scale is staggering, even for a State accustomed to natural disasters. Roughly 130,000 people were told to leave their homes; 2,000 buildings have been destroyed. Because wildfires have come to seem more like a certainty than a risk here, a lot will not be insured. State Farm, an insurer, decided not to renew 70% of its policies in Pacific Palisades, one of the worst-hit areas.
1 月 9 日，洛杉矶及其周边地区仍在熊熊燃烧的五场大火已经成为加州历史上破坏力最大的火灾之一。即使对于一个习惯于自然灾害的州来说，其规模也是惊人的。约有 13 万人被要求离开家园；2000 栋建筑被毁。由于野火在这里看起来更像是一种必然而非风险，许多房屋将无法投保。州立农业保险公司决定不再续保太平洋帕利塞德地区 70%的保单，该地区是受灾最严重的地区之一。
截至 1 月 9 日，洛杉矶及周边地区仍在燃烧的五场大火，已成为加州历史上最毁灭性的火灾之一。即使对于一个习惯自然灾害的州来说，灾难的规模也令人震惊。大约 13 万人被命令撤离；已有 2000 栋建筑被摧毁。 由于野火在这里已不像风险而更像是必然，很多房屋并未投保。保险公司 State Farm 决定不再续保 Pacific Palisades 地区 70%的保单，该地是受灾最严重的地区之一。
ABC Los Angeles reckons this has left 1,600 homes there uninsured. Fire crews faced an uneven fight: in the small hours of the morning the neighbourhood fire hydrants ran dry. People abandoned their cars and fled on foot as the flames approached. Firefighters then bulldozed their vehicles to reach the blaze. Workers evacuated patients in wheelchairs from a nursing home. The sky above the Pacific Coast Highway turned orange and thickened with smoke. Palm fronds smouldered. Extreme winds sparked several firestorms across Los Angeles beginning on January 7th. Nine months without measurable rainfall had primed the city to burn.
据 ABC 洛杉矶电视台估计，这使得该地区约有 1600 座房屋没有保险。消防队面临着不均衡的斗争：在凌晨时分，附近的消防栓已干涸。 当火焰逼近时，人们放弃汽车徒步逃离。随后，消防员用推土机推开他们的车辆接近火场。工作人员将坐在轮椅上的病人从一家疗养院疏散出来。太平洋海岸公路上方的天空变成了橙色，浓烟弥漫。棕榈树叶闷烧起来。从 1 月 7 日开始，强风在洛杉矶引发了多场火灾风暴。九个月没有可测降水已经让这座城市成为火灾的温床。
据 ABC 洛杉矶报道，该地已有 1600 所房屋处于无保险状态。消防队面临着极不平衡的对抗：凌晨时分，社区内的消防栓已无水可用。人们弃车逃命，随着火焰逼近，消防员推平车辆以进入火场。工作人员还从疗养院中疏散了坐轮椅的病人。太平洋海岸公路上空变成橘红色，烟雾加剧。棕榈树叶在慢慢燃烧。极端强风于 1 月 7 日起在洛杉矶多地引发了火灾风暴。九个月未有可测降雨，这座城市仿佛已经准备好燃烧。
It did not take long for a natural disaster to become a political one. Donald Trump blamed California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, arguing that he diverted water from Californians to protect an endangered fish, a reference to a new plan to manage water in the Colorado river delta, which has no bearing on firefighting in LA.
一场自然灾害没过多久就变成了一场政治事件。唐纳德-特朗普指责加州民主党州长加文-纽森，称他为了保护一种濒临灭绝的鱼类而转移了加州人的用水，这指的是一项管理科罗拉多河三角洲水源的新计划，但与洛杉矶的消防工作无关。
这场灾难很快从自然灾害变成了政治问题。唐纳德·特朗普将责任归咎于加州民主党州长加文·纽森，称其为了保护一种濒危鱼类而调走了居民的用水——指的是一项管理科罗拉多河三角洲水资源的新计划，而这与洛杉矶的灭火毫无关系。
The ordeal reminds Angelenos of their vulnerability. At any given time Los Angeles is at risk of fire, flood, extreme heat, mudslides and earthquakes. "Los Angeles weather is the weather of catastrophe, of apocalypse" wrote Joan Didion in 1969, in an essay about the Santa Anas. The violent winds "affect the entire quality of life in Los Angeles, accentuate its impermanence, its unreliability. The wind shows us how close to the edge we are".
这场磨难提醒了洛杉矶人他们的脆弱性。在任何时候，洛杉矶都面临发生火灾、洪水、极端高温、泥石流和地震的风险。1969 年，琼-迪迪恩在一篇关于圣塔安娜风的文章中写道：“洛杉矶的天气是灾难的天气，是末日的天气”。狂风“影响着洛杉矶的整个生活质量，突显了它的无常和不可靠性。风向我们展示了我们离灾难边缘有多近”。