onslaught 復習

東日本大震災で被害にあった建物を残そうとする動きがあります。

Local efforts continue to preserve disaster monument

Yuichi Yonezawa believes he owes his life to the three-story building that used to house his company in the tsunami-swamped city of Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture.

On March 11, 2011, Yonezawa ran up to the roof of the building and climbed the chimney to narrowly escape the onslaught of seawater that surged to a height of about 14 meters above ground level, just below his feet.

Grateful for surviving the tsunami unscathed and determined to hand down his experience in the horrors of the catastrophe, he decided to preserve the building in a city center area where most other structures have been removed and land elevation work is making progress.

以下省略

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0004296760

　onslaught /ɔ́nslɔ̀t/ を取り上げます。文脈から、迫り来る様子を表す言葉だと思いました。『ライトハウス英和辞典』（第5版　研究社）で調べると「（普通は単数形で）猛攻撃、猛襲（on, against; of）」とありました。

　LDOCEには “a large violent attack by an army” や “strong criticism of someone” と定義されています。加えて “the onslaught of something” の形では “the effect of something that is unpleasant and could cause damage” と説明されています。

　記事にある “the onslaught of seawater” という部分からは、大きな被害をもたらす津波が押し寄せてくる様子が浮かびます。（aqua）