Lesson 2

5.3

(P=Presenter W= Mr Wang)

P: Today, we're talking about professional teams who work in natural disaster rescue. As you know, natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and landslides can cause death and other loss and damage that is hard to measure. So what do professional rescue teams do when a natural disaster happens? Today, Mr Wang from China International Search and Rescue Team is here to tell us all about this.

W: Hello, everyone!

P: Mr Wang, l know you have been part of many rescue operations overseas, as well as in China, for example the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008. So what happens in your rescue attempts?

W: Well, in the rescue attempts our first and most important goal is to save lives, for example at an earthquake site. So we use search and rescue vehicles and trained dogs to look for anyone who is still alive and try our best to save them.

P: Sounds like a very challenging process. How long does a rescue attempt usually take?

W: To give you an example, one of my recent attempts was the Nepal earthquake. Over sixty members and six dogs took part, and we were there for twelve days. We rescued two people and provided medical help to over 2,000 people.

P:Twelve days! You rescued two people and helped 2,000! Hard to imagine. It must have been really tough.

W: Yes. It was a battle against time.

P: Wow, l can't imagine how much pressure you are under.

W: It's definitely hard. But it's our duty to try our best to reduce suffering and the loss of life, We're trained to do so.