Good Morning, Bon,

It sure has been a tough week for the good ol' USA.

I am sure there's lots of wind and hail damage, and maybe some flood damage and tornado damage in some places in our state, but it sure is nice to see all the rainfall recorded on the Mesonet maps this morning. Around here, it seems like we can't have spring rain without all the damage that often accompanies the storms.

The images from Boston were so shocking and it is hard to understand why any person or group wants to hurt innocent people.

The explosion and fire in West, TX, is just heartbreaking. I find it so hard to understand why homes, a nursing home, a school, etc. were built so close to a fertilizer factory. It just makes no sense to me.

My heart is broken for all those suffering injuries, loss of loved ones, physical and emotional pain, loss of their homes, etc. We know there are people grieving this morning the loss of loved ones in the West, TX, even though an official death total hasn't been released yet.

Once again, we are struck by the images of many good people, not just firefighters, medics and law enforcement officers but many 'regular' people as well....rushing towards the explosion site, flames and destruction in order to help others. We see people lining up again to give blood. We are lucky to live in a world where so many people rush to help one another in difficult times.

When I saw the explosion, I instantly thought of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in OKC.How could anyone not think of it, especially with the anniversary so close? It was so devastating, but the people in Oklahoma responded so well that I always think of the bombing response here as a great example to the rest of the world in how to respond to great tragedies and emergencies.

I read one report that said the fertilizer factory in West, TX, likely contained 100 times as much nitrate fertilizer as the bomb that destroyed the federal building here in our state. That is such a horrifying thought. Of course, we don't know how much of that fertilizer was involved in last night's explosion.

I learned of the explosion while checking the radar on a D-FW TV station to see if the rain was headed our way yet. It wasn't. I watched the news for constant updates until deep into the night, and the rain finally arrived but it wasn't rain, hail and thunderstorms that made it a sleepless night here.

I was really worried that your husband might have been one to volunteer when I heard of the massive volunteer response. They were actually telling people not to come and help!

I admit, I didn't want him going down there and I was worried he did. It isn't so much the fire hazard but the aerated ammonia threat.

*hugs*

At that time there were reports of potentially 60-70 fatalities, but that number dwindled greatly by this morning. It's still too much.

The last explosion there killed 581 and it occurred on April 16, 1947 - the day before yesterday. Creepy.

Bon,

I appreciate that you were thinking of us.

I don't know if DFW Airport sent anyone, but if they did, it didn't include my DH. He was the on-duty police supervisor last night, so he wouldn't have been able to leave the airport anyway. I suspect that if they sent anyone, it would have been some of their specialized fire units like the HazMat teams or their Explosives Ordnance teams or maybe medical personnel.

West, TX, is fortunate in that they are located sort of at the northern edge of heavily populated central Texas, so there were literally hundreds of fire departments, EMS services agencies, various regional Red Cross groups, and law enforcement agencies (and military bases too) who could quickly send first responders within minutes of the news of the explosion being received. By the time the news of the explosion reached the media air waves, responders were en route from numerous areas....Interstate 35 looked like a parade of emergency vehicles with flashing lights, and I am sure many other roadways looked the same way.

When Tim arrived home early this morning from work, he quoted the 60-70 number as being what was currently expected, but now that number looks likely to be a lot lower. Even 1 life lost is too many, and the last time I heard, the fatality list is likely to include firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement officers who were evacuating workers and residents near the plant as the explosion occurred.

I don't remember the Texas City explosion that killed 581 because I was born 12 years after it happened, but I remember studying it in school. The few photos of the aftermath were just horrific and as a child, I couldn't imagine that anything could be horrible enough to kill almost 600 people without warning. That explosion was down on the Texas Gulf Coast and involved a ship loaded with nitrate fertilizer. That nitrate fertilizer is bad stuff.

For the sake of the peace of mind of everyone in West, TX, I hope that the fertilizer plant is not allowed to re-open and operate there within close proximity to homes, schools, etc. It should have to move out into a more rural area where there could be buffer acreage between it and nearby dwellings.

West likely is best know for WestFest, its annual Czech/Polka Festival held every Labor Day Weekend, so all I can think of when someone mentions West (prior to this incident) is Czech food and polka dancing.

I suspect things in West will never feel quite the same again. I think a town and its people lose a certain form of 'innocence' when their community is devastated by a disaster, but even though that occurs, they often become stronger as a result, and it already was a strong, tight-knit community where everyone knew everyone. My heart is heavy thinking of all the grief there today too.

Dawn

I agree. They need to get that plant isolated !!

I thought ammonia nitrate was not sold any more, at least I could not get it. I went to the small feed store in Greenwood a few weeks to get a nitrogen fertilizer and 33.5-0-0 was all they had. I use to buy 34-0-0 to use on the lawn about 25 years ago, but it became unavailable here because of the OKC bombing, or at least that is how I remember it.

They had to copy my drivers license and get my signature just to buy one bag.

Larry

That remind me of the last time I purchased super glue.... o.O