Face to Face with Hurricane Camille 迎战卡米尔号飓风shudder
                                        Joseph P. Blank
  1 John Koshak, Jr., knew that Hurricane Camille would be bad. Radio and television warnings had sounded throughout that Sunday, last August 17, as Camille lashed northwestward across the Gulf of Mexico. It was certain to pummel Gulfport, Miss., where the Koshers lived. Along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, nearly 150,000 people fled inland to safer ground. But, like thousands of others in the coastal communities, john was reluctant to abandon his home unless the family -- his wife, Janis, and their seven children, abed 3 to 11 -- was clearly endangered.
小约翰·柯夏克(John Koshak, Jr.)知道飓风卡米尔(Camille)会很厉害。去年8月17日那个星期天，当卡米尔号穿过墨西哥湾向西北冲去时，广播和电视上的警报一直在响个不停。它肯定会袭击科舍家住的格尔夫波特小。在路易斯安那州、密西西比州和阿拉巴马州海岸，近15万人逃往内陆安全地带。但是，像沿海社区成千上万的其他人一样，约翰不愿意离开他的家，除非他的家人——他的妻子詹妮丝和他们的7个3岁到11岁的孩子——明显处
于危险之中。
  2 Trying to reason out the best course of action, he talked with his father and mother, who had moved into the ten-room house with the Koshaks a month earlier from California. He also consulted Charles Hill, a long time friend, who had driven from Las Vegas for a visit. 
为了出最好的解决办法，他和父母商量了一下。一个月前，父母从加州搬来，和柯夏克一家一起住进了这座有十个房间的房子。他还咨询了从拉斯维加斯开车过来的老朋友查尔斯·希尔(Charles Hill)。
 
  3 John, 37 -- whose business was right there in his home ( he designed and developed educational toys and supplies, and all of Magna Products' correspondence, engineering drawings and art work were there on the first floor) -- was familiar with the power of a hurricane. Four years earlier, Hurricane Betsy had demolished undefined his former home
a few miles west of Gulfport (Koshak had moved his family to a motel for the night). But that house had stood only a few feet above sea level. "We' re elevated 23 feet," he told his father, "and we' re a good 250 yards from the sea. The place has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever bothered it. We' II probably be as safe here as anyplace else."
37岁的约翰的生意就在家里(他设计开发教育玩具和教育用品，麦格纳公司所有的信件、工程图纸和艺术品都放在一楼)，他对飓风的威力十分熟悉。四年前，贝特西(Betsy)飓风摧毁了他在格尔夫波特(Gulfport)以西几英里处的故居(柯夏克已举家搬到一家汽车旅馆过夜)。但那所房子只高出海平面几英尺。“我们现在升高了23英尺，”他对父亲说，“而且我们离海边足足有250码远。”这个地方从1915年就在这里了，从来没有飓风来过。我们在这里大概比在其他任何地方都安全。”
 
  4 The elder Koshak, a gruff, warmhearted expert machinist of 67, agreed. "We can batten down and ride it out," he said. "If we see signs of danger, we can get out before da
rk."
67岁的老柯夏克是个脾气粗暴、热心的机械师，他同意了。他说:“我们可以做好准备，安然度过难关。”“如果我们看到危险的迹象，我们可以在天黑前离开。”
  5 The men methodically prepared for the hurricane. Since water mains might be damaged, they filled bathtubs and pails. A power failure was likely, so they checked out batteries for the portable radio and flashlights, and fuel for the lantern. John's father moved a small generator into the downstairs hallway, wired several light bulbs to it and prepared a connection to the refrigerator.
这些人有条不紊地为飓风做准备。由于水管可能被损坏，他们给浴缸和水桶灌满水。很可能是停电了，所以他们检查了便携式收音机和手电筒的电池，以及提灯的燃料。约翰的父亲把一台小发电机搬到楼下的走廊，接上几个灯泡，并准备和冰箱连接。
  6 Rain fell steadily that afternoon; gray clouds scudded in from the Gulf on the rising wind. The family had an early supper. A neighbor, whose husband was in Vietnam, asked
if she and her two children could sit out the storm with the Koshaks. Another neighbor came by on his way in-land — would the Koshaks mind taking care of his dog?
那天下午雨一直下个不停;乌云随着上升的风从海湾飞掠而来。全家人早早地吃了晚饭。一位丈夫在越南的邻居问她，她和她的两个孩子能不能和柯夏克一家呆在一起躲过风暴。另一个邻居路过这里，问柯夏克一家能不能帮他照看一下他的狗?
  7 It grew dark before seven o' clock. Wind and rain now whipped the house. John sent his oldest son and daughter upstairs to bring down mattresses and pillows for the younger children. He wanted to keep the group together on one floor. "Stay away from the windows," he warned, concerned about glass flying from storm-shattered panes. As the wind mounted to a roar, the house began leaking- the rain seemingly driven right through the walls. With mops, towels, pots and buckets the Koshaks began a struggle against the rapidly spreading water. At 8:30, power failed, and Pop Koshak turned on the generator.
不到七点天就黑了。风和雨拍打着房子。约翰让他的大儿子和女儿上楼去给年幼的孩子们
取来床垫和枕头。他想把大家集中在一层楼里。“离窗户远点，”他警告说，担心被暴风雨震碎的玻璃会飞出玻璃。随着风的呼啸，房子开始漏水——雨水似乎穿过了墙壁。柯夏克一家开始用拖把、毛巾、锅和水桶与迅速蔓延的洪水作斗争。八点半，停电了，柯夏克爷爷打开了发电机。
  8 The roar of the hurricane now was overwhelming. The house shook, and the ceiling in the living room was falling piece by piece. The French doors in an upstairs room blew in with an explosive sound, and the group heard gun-like reports as other upstairs windows disintegrated. Water rose above their ankles.
飓风的吼声势不可挡。房子震动了，客厅的天花板一块一块地掉下来。楼上一间房间的法国式门被炸开了，这人还听到楼上其他窗户破碎时传来的声。水涨到了他们的脚踝以上。
  9 Then the front door started to break away from its frame. John and Charlie put their shoulders against it, but a blast of water hit the house, flinging open the door and shoving them down the hall. The generator was doused, and the lights went out. Charlie licked his
lips and shouted to John. "I think we' re in real trouble. That water tasted salty." The sea had reached the house, and the water was rising by the minute!

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