33.It came with destructive force,a natural disaster that shocked the world and killed tens of thousands.The waters have now receded(退去),but diseases and food and water shortages trouble a number of countries around the Indian Ocean.
Food and water
The number of survivors in need of food aid after the Indian Ocean disaster has climbed to 5 million people.(1)
Relief teams hope to reach all of the estimated 700,000 hungry survivors in Sri Lanka within three more days.It could take longer before enough food aid gets to the nearly 1 million people in need in hard-to-reach parts of Indonesia.(2)
.
Disease
(3)
World Health Organization(WHO) crisis chief David Nabarro said 50,000 more people could die from diseases and other causes.WHO said it had already received a handful of reports of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
Trauma(精神創(chuàng)傷)
Psychologists are warning that mental health problems caused by the tsunami could prove harder to resolve than the physical damage.Some survivors say they are troubled by recurring nightmares(噩夢)about walls of water. (4)
Although the Thai Government has offered to build temporary(臨時的) beachside housing,many refugee families are refusing to come down from the hills.Others are afraid to go back to jobs on the sea.
Rebuilding
Over 150,000 people were killed by the tsunami,but hundreds and thousands more have been left with no means to make a living.Dakshina Murti,a fisherman,not only lost three family members,but also lost his boats,his nets,everything. "Everything's gone," he says.(5)
For now,rebuilding the economy remains a distant concept.
A.Many locals are afraid to return to beachside homes.
B.Another serious problem is the need for clean water.
C.The number could rise further,the United Nations has said.
D.People around the world offered their timely and selfless help.
E.It was difficult to deliver food to the more than 1,000 islands.
F.There are several million people who suffered the same experience.
G.For those who survived the tsunami's force,disease is now the No.1 problem.