布什总统周二将视察艾克飓风灾区

搜救人员正在沿墨西哥沿岸寻找因飓风艾克而受困的民众。美国总统布什将在星期二视察该区。

President Bush says he wants to get a first hand look at the damage.

布什总统说，他要亲自去看看当地受灾的情况。

"This is a tough storm and it is going to require time for people to recover," said President Bush.

他说：“这是个很厉害的飓风，人们需要时间来恢复。”

Hurricane Ike came ashore early Saturday along the Texas Gulf Coast with strong winds and torrential rains. As it weakened and moved out, the search for the missing began, along with the slow task of assessing damage and restoring essential services.

飓风艾克带着狂风暴雨星期六早晨在德克萨斯州墨西哥湾登陆。在风力逐渐减弱离开那里后，寻找失踪民众的行动就开始了。同时，对损害的评估和恢复主要服务的缓慢过程也随之开始。

President Bush says search and rescue is now the top priority. But he says action is also being taken to help the millions who remain without electricity.

总统布什说，搜索和救援是当务之急，但他说，有关当局也采取了行动帮助几百万缺乏电力供应的民众。

"Interestingly enough, some electricity is already being restored to Houston, I am told," said Mr. Bush. "And I do want to thank the utility companies for working hard to get electricity up."

他说：“有趣的是，他们告诉我休斯敦的部分电力供应已经恢复。我要谢谢电力公司这么努力使电力回复。”

But it is likely to take some time before power is fully restored. And for now, the people of Houston - the fourth-largest city in the United States - are under an overnight curfew due to the outages.

不过要使电力全面恢复可能还需要一段时间。休斯敦是美国第四大城，目前因为断电而晚间实施宵禁。

Complicating matters is massive storm debris - including downed trees and shattered glass from broken windows. In the barrier island town of Galveston, homes and businesses were flooded out, and when the storm winds receded, the local highway was covered with boats and other refuse left behind by the sea.

使问题更为复杂的是飓风造成的大量垃圾，包括倒下的树木和被打破窗户的碎玻璃。加尔维斯顿镇岛上民房和商店全被水淹。在风消退后，当地公路上遍布着船只和其他海水冲上岸的垃圾。

President Bush has been getting regular updates on conditions. After a briefing early Sunday, he warned local residents who evacuated to stay away until local officials say it is safe to return.

总统布什不断得到灾情汇报。星期天早上举行简报会后，他警告撤退的居民在当地官员说已经安全以前不要回家。

"It is very important for citizens, who I know are anxious to get home, to take your time and listen, take the advice of local folks," he said.

他说：“我知道民众归心似箭，但是耐心等候和听取地方官员的劝告是非常重要的。”

There is also concern about gas and oil refineries in the region slammed by Ike. They were spared the worst of the storm. But work was disrupted and some may remain closed for some time due to power outages.

另外， 人们对当地遭受艾克袭击的炼油厂也很关注。他们躲过了最恶劣的风暴，但是工作已经中断，有些还可能由于停电而被迫停工很久。

As a result, gasoline prices in the United States are rising sharply. President Bush says it is too early to determine the extent of the damage the hurricane will have on gasoline production and distribution. But he makes clear price gouging will not be tolerated.

美国油价因此暴涨。总统布什说，现在评估飓风对石油生产和配给的破坏程度还为时过早。但他清楚地表示，哄抬油价的行为是绝不能容忍的。

"The federal government, along with state governments, will be monitoring very carefully as to whether or nor consumers are being mistreated at the pump," said President Bush.

他说：“联邦政府，和州政府一起将密切注视，消费者在加油时是不是受到不公平的对待。”

President Bush has already declared a federal disaster in large parts of Texas and neighboring Louisiana. The move clears the way for massive government assistance to flow into the region. Although it will take some time before the full extent of the damage is known, Ike is expected to be one of the costliest storms ever to hit the United States.

总统布什已宣布大部分的德萨斯州和邻州路易斯安那州为重灾区。这一举动为大量政府救援进入该地区扫清了道路。虽然要过一些时间才能知道受损的程度，但艾克预计是袭击美国造成损害最严重的暴风之一。