Scared Monkeys Discussion Forum

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/powerful-exploson-rocks-town-north-of-waco-203508001.html
Search for trapped continues; reports of looting after West explosion
Posted April 17, 2013, Updated April 18, 2013


WEST, Texas — The search and rescue effort continues after a devastating and deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. rocked the Central Texas town of West on Wednesday evening.
"I ask for your prayers," said Mayor Tommy Muska."Search and rescue teams have been working through the night."
The number of those trapped inside rubble from the explosion is still unknown, said Sgt. William Patrick Swanton in a briefing just after 8 a.m.
There were no precise numbers available of the dead and injured.
"There is a significant area around the fertilizer plant that has been destroyed," Swanton said. "Homes have been destroyed; homes have been flattened; part of that community is gone."
In an earlier news conference, the sergeant estimated the number of casualties from five to 15.
The sergeant reported that one of the missing firefighters, who also serves as a law enforcement officer, was found in a hospital with serious injuries. Swanton said there are still an unknown number of firefighters missing. The volunteer firefigthers were reported missing after responding to the fire reported at the plant before the explosion.
Swanton also said authorities have received reports of looting in the area. The sergeant said authorities were working to curb the problem by ensuring that only authorized people were allowed inside the neighborhoods.
 ::snipping2::
At 4:15 a.m., West, Texas EMS director Dr. George Smith confirmed that two paramedics lost their lives in Tuesday night's explosion at West Fertilizer Company.
A Facebook page was established in memory of several firefighters who reportedly perished in the blast.
The blast happened around 8 p.m. at the West Fertilizer plant at 1471 Jerry Mashek Drive, about a half-mile east of Interstate 35.
Shortly before 10 p.m., a dispatcher was advising emergency crews to move away from the burning plant due to concern about chemicals in unexploded tanks.
A few minutes later, WFAA's Todd Unger reported hearing more explosions north of the plant.
"This is a crime scene," Sgt. Swanton said. "Until we know that it is an industrial accident, we will work it as a crime scene."
He said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is at the scene to conduct that part of the investigation.
Swanton added that teams continued going door-to-door Wednesday morning looking for anyone who might be injured or trapped.
The initial fire call at the fertilizer plant was logged at 7:29 p.m. Twenty-four minutes later -- as firefighters, police and paramedics were evacuating nearby residents -- there was a devastating explosion.
At the 8 a.m. briefing, Swanton said the fires at the plant and homes continued to smolder but were not out of control.
The explosion was so large the U.S. Geological Survey classified it as a 2.1 magnitude earthquake.
According to records from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the plant worked with anhydrous ammonia, a colorless gas. While the facility is known as a plant to those who live in the area it's actually a fertilizer chemical storage facility. No fertilizer is actually made at the site.
Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman D.L. Wilson said half the town was evacuated –– if the wind shifts to the north, Wilson feared the other half would need to leave as well.
"There still are other ingredients there on the facility so we don't want that to explode again," the trooper said. "We're worried about people, not property."
 ::snipping2::
Hillcrest Baptist Hospital in Waco treated about 94 patients, said spokesman Glenn Robinson. He estimated about 12 to be critically wounded and the others to have more minor injuries, such as lacerations. He said many patients had already been discharged by 1 a.m. and expected the majority to be allowed to leave by the morning.
Some individuals were still being transported in school buses early Thursday morning.
"That's an encouraging number because that means we've been able to treat and release a great number that we've already seen this evening," Robinson said.
While the outpouring of support from emergency officials was encouraging, Wilson said enough are in the town.
"We are overflowing with help," he said. "We do not need any more help."
Mayor Tommy Muska said 133 people at a nearby nursing home all had to be evacuated.
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link

http://kwkt.com/news/caught-camera-fertilizer-plant-explosion-near-waco
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Fertilizer plant explosion near Waco
April 18, 2013

WEST, TX (KWKT) —

A hotline has been set up for an people looking for loved ones possibly injured in the explosion. Here is the number: (254)202-1100.

The video above is from a witness who caught the explosion on camera.

Dozens may be dead following a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, TX following a Wednesday evening blast .

The explosion happened around 8:00pm at West Fertilizer, Inc. A triage was initially set up at a nearby high school football field, but they were later moved from the football field to a location six blocks away for fear of a second explosion.

The City of West has been evacuated, and West ISD has informed us via twitter that the schools will be closed until further notice.

A witness caught the explosion on camera (see above).
More...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/liveblog/wp/2013/04/18/fertilizer-plant-explosion-in-texas-live-updates/
Fertilizer plant explosion in Texas: Live Updates
April 18, 2013

Live Updates at Above Link.  Photo Gallery & Audio Dispatch


A raging fire turned into a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas on Wednesday night. Initial reports are that there are at least 160 people wounded and an estimated five to 15 dead. The immediate neihborhood around the site of the explosion has been evacuated and rescuers are sweeping through the area, house to house, looking for people.
Follow below for the latest updates.

More...

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22007886/injuries-building-damage-in-fertilizer-plant-explosion
Between 5 and 15 people killed in fertilizer explosion in West, TX
Posted April 17, 2013, Updated April 18, 2013

West, Texas -
A major explosion occurred Wednesday night at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, near Hillsboro in north-central Texas - killing between five and 15  people and injuring at least 160 more. Three to four firefighters who were battling the fire that occurred before the explosion are unaccounted for.

Waco Police Spokesperson Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said a fire began Wednesday evening at the West Fertilizer plant. Fifty minutes later, an explosion was reported in a frantic radio call from the scene of the fire at the plant at 1471 Jerry Mashek Dr. just off Interstate 35. Authorities said there is no indication that the blast was anything but an accident.

EMT's in the area said they saw broken glass everywhere, homes were on fire and the mood was chaotic.

Swanton said as of 8:30 a.m., search teams are still searching for people. He said many people were still trapped inside homes and businesses near the explosion. He said while driving through the debris, he saw windows blown out, bricks torn off buildings, and homes were leveled. He compared the scene as "tornadic in effect"and said  "part of the communality is gone."

There are  also reports of people looting some of the empty homes that were evacuated right after the blast.

The mayor of West held a press conference at 5:30 a.m. "I ask for your prayers," Mayor Tommy Mouska said.

There are reports of injuries and widespread building damage. Sky4 showed an apartment complex blown apart by the blast. According to Fox 4's Dan Godwin, five to six blocks are leveled and 50 to 60 homes are damaged. Early morning rain helped put out hotspots but hindered rescue efforts.

Sky4 also showed fires still raging at part of the plant more than two hours after the initial explosion.

At 12 a.m., D.L. Wilson with Texas Department of Public Safety said gas companies are turning off gas to the areas where the explosion happened. He said with all the firefighters and EMS flowing into the town, no more help is needed at this time.

"First of all our hearts and prayers go out to the community out here in West. It's a small farming community, with a Czech background," said Wilson. "They've always opened their arms to everybody that passes through here on I-35 and McLennan County, Texas. Our hearts and prayers go out to them. This is an unbelievable tragedy that's happened here tonight."

At 11 p.m., Mayor Tommy Muska said the fires in town are under control. He said buildings within a five block radius were heavily damaged. Muska said that 133 people at a nearby nursing home all had to be evacuated. He said there is no official casualty count yet.

DPS Spokesman D.L. Wilson said Mayor Muska will speak again Thursday. He said there are confirmed fatalities, and a tremendous amount of people with injuries.
 ::snipping2::
Many of the injuries at the nursing home were from shards of glass. At least nine people with bad burn injuries were taken to Parkland hospital in Dallas.

Officials said immediate family members only can call 254-202-1100 looking for loved ones.

Crews from multiple fire and rescue departments are at the scene.

According to FOX 4's Brandon Todd, as many as 30 people were taken away from scene in wheelchairs -- many of them injured at a nearby nursing home.

A medical response/triage center was initially set up on the football field in West. In fear of a second blast, the triage center moved to a community center around 10:30 p.m.

Oncor's reported more than 1,100 people were without power in the area.
 ::snipping2::
People felt the explosion as far as Red Oak, Ennis, Cleburne, Hillsboro and Waxahachie.

West ISD says all campuses are closed Thursday and Friday. Further announcements will be made this weekend.

A DPS spokesperson says 75 to 100 homes and businesses have been destroyed.

The FAA has placed temporary flight restrictions over the scene. Only emergency aircraft are allowed in the restricted 3 miles radius.

Red Cross is sending teams from Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin with supplies.
 ::snipping2::
n relation to the popular Czech Stop Grocery & Deli shop where many folks stop to get kolaches and other snacks, the West Fertilizer is five minutes away.

Many hospitals near West will need blood donations. To donate, contact Carter BloodCare at their website and find a location nearest you. If you live in East Texas you are being asked to go to the nearest Carter Bloodcare to donate.
 ::snipping2::

They are just now showing some pictures this morning. Unbelievable the destruction.

It's really bad.  ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.wfaa.com/home/West-Texas-Things-you-need-to-know-203526911.html
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW about the West, Texas explosion
April 18, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Helpful information
Safe and Well People Finder: Register your name to let others know you are safe
Prayers for West Facebook page
Power outage information from Oncor
To check on patients admitted to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, call (254) 202-1100
For family inquiries about patients at Scott & White Hospital, call (888) 394-4947
For family inquiries about patients at Providence Health Center, call (254) 761-7200
Dept. of Public Safety Trooper D.L. Wilson: Half of #WestTX evacuated, possibily more tonight. (ABC News)
Hillcrest Hospital patient information hotline 254-202-1100 (KWTX News 10)
FAA has placed a temporary flight restriction over airspace around the TX explosion. Only emergency aircraft allowed to operate. (ABC News)
Most critical patients to Hillcrest Baptist in Waco, followed by Providence Hospital.
The town of west has a population of about 2,800. (ABC News)
Eight to ten blocks evacuated in West, Texas. (Sheriff)
West Fertilizer Company was fined $2,300 in 2006 because it "failed to implement the risk management plan." (News Channel 25)
RT @jayhicks: Trooper Wilson: Plant is still smoldering. Won't go back in. 50-75 homes have been destroyed.
West Mayor says 4 to 5 firemen are unaccounted for. (RT by KWTX News 10)
The West Police Department has called for a mass evacuation.
West ISD says all campuses are closed on Thursday and Friday. Watch for further news announcements over the weekend.
The H-E-B on Spate and 12th has donated water and snacks to people taking shelter at Lair's Cover Apartments. (News Channel 25)
USGS reports the explosion in West had a magnitude of 2.1 on the Richter scale.
Family members worried about loved ones can call (254) 202-1100 at Hillcrest. Call (888) 394-4947 for information on family members at Scott & White.
 
Evacuation locations
Valley Mills Nursing Home has rooms available for nursing home residents if placement is needed for any of the West Nursing home residents. Call (254) 932-6288.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish at 219 W. Magnolia Street, Penelope, TX 76676 can handle 100 families.
Ben's Boat Repair in Elm Mott has space avaliable for pets and a few people, 435 S. McLennan Loop, 254-716-9593
First Baptist Church of Lott has room for anyone needing a place to stay. Call 254-829-2321. (KWTX News 10)
Blair's Cove Apts in Waco is offering housing to any resident affected by #Westexplosion 2425 S. 21 Street (254) 447-0810
Evacuees were told to go to the Community Center in Abbott, Texas, about five miles north of West, Texas.
Church of the Open Door will be opened for survivors. They are located off of exit 339 in Bellmead. (News Channel 25)
Home Depot in Bellmead is open all night for assistance. (News Channel 25)
All Gholson ISD schools have been opened to be used as shelters.
Penelope High School has been opened for survivors.
Central United Methodist Church
Texas State Technical State College in Waco
Latham Springs Camp and Retreat Center (254) 694-3689
Aquilla ISD
Alliance Auto Auction on I-35
Sykora Family Ford in West
Gholson Baptist Church
La Vega Veterinary Clinic - taking in small animals for the night
Pharmacy at HEB Store on Woodway
Antioch Community church at 501 North 20th Street in Waco
Organizations accepting donations
Carter Blood Center in Waco will be taking blood donations at 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
Scott and White Blood and Donation Center  taking blood donations overnight.
Point West Bank - drop off or send to 200 West Oak Street, West 76691
The Extraco Events Center will be setting up to take donations starting at 9 am on Thursday. For information, call (254) 776-1660
Both Peas & tots and Smarty Pants consignment stores in Waco are accepting clothing donations in all sizes for those in West.
Axtell High School will be taking any kind of donations at the school on Thursday. Please donate anything. the PALS organization is taking all donations and will be accepting tomorrow and Friday during school.
ESPN 1660 AM is taking donations at their Bagby Ave. location

Celebrity Tweet
Country icon Willie Nelson sent out a Twitter prayer. "West has been in my backyard all my life," Nelson tweeted early Thursday. "My heart is praying for the community that we call home." - AP

http://www.facebook.com/pages/In-Memory-of-West-TX-Firefighters-Last-Alarm-4172013/163556353806671

In Memory of West, TX Firefighters Last Alarm 4/17/2013
is on Facebook.

(http://i.imgur.com/wtCcZW0.jpg)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324493704578429943017835664.html
Rescuers Scour Texas Blast Zone
April 18, 2013

WEST, Texas—Rescue workers on Thursday began scouring the blast zone of a massive fertilizer-plant explosion that has left up to 15 people dead or missing, including emergency workers who responded to the initial fire, officials said.

Law-enforcement officials said the death toll could rise, even as they looked for people still trapped in debris. As a heavy rain fell in this small town north of Waco, fire crews combed through the adjacent neighborhood. "We're still searching for survivors," Waco Police Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said Thursday morning.
 ::snipping2::
The facility stored and blended anhydrous ammonia that it distributed as fertilizer to local businesses, according to a 2011 safety plan filed with the federal government in 2011. According to this plan, it didn't have an automatic shutoff system or firewalls installed. It was located across the street from a park and within 1,000 feet of a school, homes and an apartment complex, where many of the injuries occurred.

More than 150 people have been treated for injuries relating to the fire and explosion, according to local hospitals. There is an assisted-living facility close by, but more than 130 people had been evacuated from it after the fire broke out but before the explosion, said Texas state police.

Gov, Rick Perry will be holding a news conference at the Austin Department of Public Safety to update on federal help at 11:45 am.

Mr. Swanton said the death toll is only an estimate as search-and-rescue operations remain under way in the town of West. The whereabouts of several volunteer firefighters remain unknown. He described a scene of "extreme devastation" near the site of the explosion and added that he expected there would be a rising list of fatalities.

Mr. Swanton said there is no indication the blast was anything other than an industrial accident.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has activated a team to go to the site to determine if the cause of the fire and explosion at the fertilizer plant was "accidental or criminal," spokesman George Semonick said. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board said that it was deploying a "large investigation team" to the scene of the fire and explosion. State officials have set up air monitoring nearby.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, D.L. Wilson, said the blast heavily damaged 50 to 75 homes, as well as an apartment building with roughly 50 units near the site.
More...

Video, Slideshow and Graphics at Link

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/breaking-news/more-than-half-a-dozen-injured-from-west-plant-exp/nXPyS/
Perry declares state of emergency; Firefighters among missing in West blast
Posted April 17, 2013, Updated April 18, 2013

An explosion at a fertilizer plant Wednesday night in the town of West killed an estimated five to 15 people, injured more than 150 and damaged dozens of homes, officials said.
Overnight, hundreds of emergency responders descended on West — a town of about 2,800 located 20 miles north of Waco — where scores of people were sent to area hospitals and dozens of homes, apartments and a nursing home were toppled or damaged, officials said.
 ::snipping2::
Gov. Rick Perry said he has declared a state of emergency in McLennan County and said President Barack Obama, in a phone conversation Thursday morning, promised a quick turnaround on the state’s request.
 ::snipping2::
11:45 update: At least four volunteer firefighters are thought to be among the fatalities, but that has not been confirmed, said Chris Barron, executive director of State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association.
West has an all-volunteer fire department with 29 members, five of whom have advanced firefighter certification, he said. “It’s a very respected department,” Barron said.
Barron said that normally when fire breaks out at an industrial facility with high explosive potential, firefighters rely on the plant manager to give direction as to whether firefighters should attempt to extinguish the flames or pull back and let it burn. He did not know what the situation was in West last night.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/powerful-exploson-rocks-town-north-of-waco-203508001.html
Dallas Fire-Rescue firefighter dead; search and rescue continues in West
April 18, 2013

WEST, Texas — A Dallas Fire-Rescue captain was confirmed dead in the West Fertilizer Co. explosion, read a statement released by Lt. Joel Lavender, a spokesman with the department Thursday afternoon.
Capt. Kenny Harris, who lives in West, served as a firefighter at Station 30 in Dallas. Harris was not a volunteer firefighter for West but responded when he heard news of the fire that broke out Wednesday night at the plant, the statement read. Harris, 52, was a father of three grown sons.
"Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis," said Mayor Mike Rawlings. "I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers."
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency were at the scene of the plant explosion that left an unknown number of people dead, said McLennan County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Matt Cawthon in a briefing at about 3:30 p.m.
 ::snipping2::
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott also spoke at the afternoon briefing. He expressed his support for first responders and the residents whose families were "were literally torn apart in an instant."
 ::snipping2::
Abbott also warned businesses not to use the tragedy as a price gouging opportunity.
The number of those trapped inside rubble from the explosion is still unknown, said Sgt. William Patrick Swanton in a briefing just after 8 a.m. He described the process as "slow and methodical." Some of the buildings are structurally unsound and must be reinforced before emergency crews can enter.
"We're using every available resource we have to do that correct so we don't miss anything or anyone," Swanton said. "It is tedious, it is time consuming, it is a very methodical process they are doing."
In addition to search and rescue teams provided by the state, squads from Fort Hood and Burleson are assisting in finding any trapped residents, the sergeant said.
Swanton said he felt "pretty comfortable" estimating the amount of fatalities at between five and 15 and the number of injured at more than 160. He did not say how many residents are unaccounted for.
"There is a significant area around the fertilizer plant that has been destroyed," Swanton said. "Homes have been destroyed; homes have been flattened; part of that community is gone."
Two women and a man injured in the blast were taken to JPS Health Network in Fort Worth. Another couple suffered shrapnel injuries despite being two miles from the blast. They're being treated at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, officials said.
Swanton did confirm that there are firefighters unaccounted for. He was unsure of how many.
The sergeant reported that one of the missing firefighters, who also serves as a law enforcement officer, was found in a hospital with serious injuries. The volunteer firefigthers were reported missing after responding to the fire reported at the plant before the explosion.
At 4:15 a.m., West, Texas EMS director Dr. George Smith confirmed that two paramedics lost their lives in Tuesday night's explosion at West Fertilizer Company.
More...

Photo Gallery with 50 images:  http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/powerful-exploson-rocks-town-north-of-waco-203508001.html?gallery=y&c=y

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/dallas-fire-rescue-captain-dies-in-west
Dallas fire rescue captain dies in West
April 18, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/xWBH7pl.jpg)

DALLAS (KXAN) - Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenny Harris died in Wednesday's explosion in West, Texas, the city of Dallas said in a statement.

Harris, 52, lived in West. He was off duty at the time of the incident, but went to the scene to see if he could help, the statement said.

“Captain Harris rushed to the scene compelled to provide assistance to his community during this crisis,” Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings said.  “I want to express my deepest condolences to his family, friends and co-workers."

He was hailed as a role model by one of Dallas' top officials.

“Captain Harris’ response is typical of all our first responders; night and day, no matter where they are, no matter if they are on or off duty they respond with the greatest acts of bravery,” said Dallas City Manager Mary K. Suhm.

The DFR Chaplain and other members are currently in West, supporting the Harris family at this time.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/willie-nelson-to-host-benefit-concert-in-austin
Willie Nelson to host benefit concert in Austin
Concert will be in Austin on April 28
April 18, 2013

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Willie Nelson said Thursday that he will turn an upcoming Texas concert into a benefit for victims of the explosion at a fertilizer plant not far from where he grew up.

The country music icon still has a home in Abbott, Texas, about five miles north of West, which was rocked by the explosion Wednesday night that left an unknown number of people dead and more than 160 hurt. He remembers riding his bike the short distance between the towns and still has many friends and family there.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of West," Nelson said in an interview before taping a CMT Crossroads special in Nashville. "There are a lot of our friends and loved ones and neighbors down there. We talked to some of them and some of them made it out OK, and some of them didn't. But they're strong and they'll be back. It's one of those things you don't get over. But you will get through it."

The concert is scheduled for April 28 in Austin at The Backyard.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/70-animals-coming-to-North-Texas-for-adoption-following-explosion-203703531.html
70 animals coming to North Texas for adoption following explosion
April 18, 2013

DALLAS -- The Humane Society of Central Texas will be sending 70 dogs and cats to Dallas Thursday night to free up more space to respond to animals in need and reunite owners with lost pets in the aftermath of the explosion in West, Texas.

The animals transported to North Texas were already up for adoption in Central Texas. The SPCA of Texas is offering a 50 percent discount off the adoption fees for the dogs and cats on Saturday and Sunday at the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center at 2400 Lone Star Drive in Dallas and the Russell H. Perry Animal Care Center at 8411 Stacy Rd. in McKinney. Those shelters are open seven days a week from noon to 6 p.m.

"The SPCA of Texas asks the community to come forward and open their homes and their hearts to these animals and the hundreds already waiting for homes in the SPCA of Texas' two North Texas-area shelters," the SPCA said in a statement.

The SPCA of Texas is also standing by should the North Texas Emergency Management System should call upon them to help in the rescue of animals in West.
 ::snipping2::

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/04/resources-how-to-help-in-aftermath-of-west-explosion.html/
Resources, how to help in aftermath of West explosion
April 18, 2013

here are plenty of ways to help those affected by the massive explosion in West, Texas, whether it’s donating money or nonperishable food or giving blood. Here is a list of resources compiled by Staff Writer Holly Warren:

To locate or check on residents:

Register at or search the Safe and Well Listings

The injured were sent to area hospitals. Call Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center at 254-202-1100; Scott and White Memorial Hospital at 888-394-4947 or Providence Health Center at 254-761-7200.

Monetary donations:

Donations for victims may be made to the Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command or the local Red Cross.

A victims’ fund has been set up at Pointwest Bank. Checks can be mailed to the bank at 200 W. Oak, West, 76691 or P.O. Box 279, West, 76691. Call 254-826-5333 for more information.

Brazos Valley Media Giving Back is accepting donations at Bank and Trust locations. Make the check to “BV Media Giving Back” with “West plant explosion” in the memo line.

Mail to or drop off at 2900 S. Texas Ave., Bryan; 3400 Highway 21 East, Bryan; 4450 State Highway 6 South, College Station; or 2305 Texas Ave. South, College Station.

Money and item donations:

Items will be accepted at this weekend’s Texas Rangers games outside Rangers Ballpark in Arlington from two hours before game time until 30 minutes after first pitch. Games times are 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2:05 p.m. Sunday. Items will be delivered next week. Cash donations will be directed to relief efforts.

Most requested items: diapers/wipes, new underwear, blankets, water bottles, grocery or home supply store gift cards, toiletries, sports drinks, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, non-perishable food, clothing, bedding, and dog and cat food.

Texas Rangers and Carter BloodCare will hold a Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the Hall of Fame, located on the concourse behind the Lower Home Run Porch.

Quaker Steak & Lube will accept donations through Sunday at its locations in Plano (5584 Texas 121), Carrollton (4109 State Highway 121) and Waco (2805 West Loop 340). Also on Sunday, the Carrollton location will host a benefit event at 1 p.m. Plano and Carrollton locations will donate 15 percent of Sunday’s food sales to relief efforts.

Two Frisco volunteers will deliver supplies to West. Drop off donations by noon Friday at LazyPaw Animal Hospital, 7380 Stonebrook Parkway, Frisco. Most needed are cash, tarps, school supplies, clothing, blankets, cots, bedding, bottled water, non-perishable food, baby care supplies, and pet care supplies and carriers.

The Extraco Events Center in Waco is accepting donations. Call 254-776-1660 for details.

Blood donations:

Find an American Red Cross location to donate blood or schedule an appointment to donate at Carter Blood Care. In Waco, the Scott & White Blood and Donation Center is taking blood donations.

For West residents:
More...

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/3-of-four-campuses-in-the-blast-zone
3 of 4 West schools in the blast zone
Neighboring communities pitching in to help
April 18, 2013

WEST, Texas (KXAN) - School officials in West, Texas are working on a game plan to return kids to a "normal routine" by Monday.

Three of the four campuses in the West Independent School District  were in the blast zone after a fertilizer plant exploded Wednesday night. The elementary school located about a mile and a half from the site is the only campus that is not damaged.

The Intermediate campus located across the street was destroyed. Aerial video from the Dallas NBC affiliate showed most of the roof caved in.

West ISD is a small district of about 1,400 students and 200 employees.

An emergency school board meeting was held this afternoon on the elementary campus to form a game plan to get kids back in class by Monday. During a press conference Thursday night, Superintendent Marty Crawford said they want to return kids to a normal routine as quickly as possible.

Surrounding school districts in the Waco area are coming to the rescue.

 Connally ISD in North Waco is offering up one of their empty schools for West ISD. Grand Prairie ISD near Dallas is donating three portable buildings as well.
 
Friday, other surrounding school districts are expected to start moving furniture and office supplies into the building to get it ready for class as early as Monday. Some districts are also donating extra school buses.
 
School officials will be working on a new transportation plan to get students from West to the new location in Waco.
  ::snipping2::

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Five-For-Fighting-Plays-West-Benefit-Thursday-203662911.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DFWBrand
Five For Fighting Plays West Benefit Thursday
Concert is free, donations accepted
April 18, 2013


The performer whose song became an anthem following the Sept. 11 attacks will do a benefit concert in the aftermath of a deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

Five for Fighting will perform Thursday night at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor University campus, about 20 miles from the accident site in the small town of West.

Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik performed the hit song "Superman (It's Not Easy)" at The Concert for New York City in late 2001.

Five For Fighting's concert was originally part of the school's Diadeloso celebration, an annual student holiday with outdoor events. Baylor delayed the start of those activities Thursday for a time of prayer after the explosion.

The concert is free and now open to everyone. Cash donations will be accepted to support relief efforts.
 ::snipping2::

The explosion caught on YouTube was just breath taking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrpKx3aIjA

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/12-bodies-recovered-more-than-200-injuries-in-West-explosion--203771961.html
12 bodies recovered as search, rescue efforts continue
April 19, 2013


WEST, Texas -- Authorities recovered 12 bodies from the area of the West fertilizer plant, said Jason Reyes, a spokesman with the Department of Public Safety, Friday morning.
Reyes said the bodies were taken to a forensic lab in Dallas to be identified.
"We are still in search and rescue mode," he said.
As of Friday morning, there were about 200 people confirmed injured from the Wednesday blast. Authorities did not reveal the number of people who remained missing.
Search and rescue crews have searched and cleared 150 buildings and Reyes confirmed 50 homes were destroyed in the explosion and its aftermath.
Friday, authorities planned to search and clear 25 remaining homes in the area.
 ::snipping2::
A press conference with Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn was scheduled for noon in West.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/official-12-confirmed-dead-200-injured-in-west/nXQ9J/
Officials: 12 confirmed dead, 60 remain unaccounted for
April 19, 2013

Update 12:35 p.m.: U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Friday said 60 people remain unaccounted for in a blast in West that killed at least 12 people and injured more than 160.
Cornyn said he was provided that number by the state deputy fire marshal and Texas Task Force members who are helping with search-and-rescue missions.
However, he said, “I would take (that number) with a grain of caution.”
Authorities said that families and neighborhoods were dispersed immediately after the explosion and that some of the missing likely have not been in touch with family or friends.
They might also be at area hospitals, Cornyn said.
“We need to find out that they are safe and still alive,” Cornyn said.
Meanwhile, crews continue to search the town for casualties.
In a press conference with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, R-Austin, Cornyn said he did not have any additional details about the number of people killed or wounded.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/crime-law/official-12-confirmed-dead-200-injured-in-west/nXQ9J/
West death toll at 14, including 9 first-responders
April 19, 2013

Update 6 p.m.: Authorities confirmed Friday evening that 14 people, including nine medics and volunteer firefighters, died in a fertilizer plant explosion and said that they are not expecting to find more survivors in a debris field of shattered homes and other buildings.
Two brothers, both veteran volunteer firefighters and the city secretary were among the dead, according to town leaders.
Officials, including U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that as many 60 people remained unaccounted for, but the town’s mayor and a top county official said in a Friday evening news conference that authorities are expected to locate most of those victims in coming days at hospitals, motels and at the homes of family and friends.
The number of missing “is a little deceiving,” Mayor Tommy Muska said. “We have a lot of displaced people.”
Federal, state and local authorities continued an investigation into what led to the explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. late Wednesday. Also Friday, the owner of the company, Donald Adair, released a statement expressing sympathy to those who died and lost their homes and other property in the blast.
“This tragedy will continue to hurt deeply for generations to come,” the statement said.
Officials have said that on Wednesday, three to five volunteer firefighters responded to a blaze at the West Fertilizer Co. plant at 7:29 p.m. and immediately began evacuating the area. About 20 minutes later, an explosion sent flames and a huge mushroom cloud into the air.
Officials have said that the explosion destroyed 50 homes, a middle school, an apartment building and a nursing home had varying degrees of damage.
More...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=177894989
Texas Town Grieves For Dead First-Responders
April 19, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — Buck Uptmor didn't have to go to West Fertilizer Co. when the fire started. He wasn't a firefighter like his brother and cousin, who raced toward the plant. But a ranch of horses next to the flames needed to be moved to safety.

"He went to help a friend," said Joyce Marek, Uptmor's aunt. "And then it blew."

Two days after the fertilizer facility exploded in a blinding fireball, authorities announced Friday that they had recovered 14 bodies, confirming for the first time an exact number of people killed. Grieving relatives filed into a church offering comfort for families, as volunteers nearby handed out food to those still unable to return to homes damaged by the massive blast.

Ten of the dead were first-responders — including five from the West Volunteer Fire Department and four emergency medics, West Mayor Tommy Muska said.

The dead included Uptmor and Joey Pustejovsky, the city secretary who doubled as a member of the West Volunteer Fire Department. A captain of the Dallas Fire Department who was off-duty at the time but responded to the fire to help also died.

The explosion was strong enough to register as a small earthquake and could be heard for many miles across the Texas prairie. It demolished nearly everything for several blocks around the plant. More than 200 people were hurt, and Muska said five first-responders were among those who remained hospitalized Friday.
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Expert-says-ammonium-nitrate-dangers-should-have-been-told-203851681.html
Expert: Ammonium nitrate dangers in West should have been told
April 20, 2013

WEST, Texas -- Explosion investigators spent their first full day Friday exploring the scene and searching for clues as to what triggered the devastating blast Wednesday night in West, Texas.

The suspected culprit at this early stage is a highly-explosive fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, which was being stored in large quantities on site.

State and federal investigators Friday could be seen combing through the debris at ground zero. They inspected a huge crater - several feet deep - where a large building once stood, containing an assortment of fertilizers.

Of greatest concern was up to 270 tons of ammonium nitrate, which the owner had properly reported to state authorities. Reporting the existence of ammonium nitrate is important because of the chemical's well-known potential to explode.

It was the main ingredient used to bomb the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995. Since then, new federal laws make it difficult to find out where ammonium nitrate is even sold.

Since Thursday, News 8 has identified a half-dozen similar fertilizer storage facilities in North Texas that stock ammonium nitrate, like one we found in Itasca, Texas, 20 miles north of the explosion in West.

By itself, when properly ventilated, the chemical is considered safe. So what caused the chemical to explode in West?

Explosion and pipeline safety expert Don Deaver said the likely trigger is the fire that raged just feet away from the storage building on Wednesday night.

"And if you have ammonium nitrate inside of a building that comes into contact with this type of heat, you are going to have an explosion,” Deaver said. “I mean, it’s the perfect storm for an explosion. You've got the ignition source, you've got the heat, and the hotter it is the more explosive it is."

State chemical storage reports on file with the Texas Department of State Health Services indicate that the explosive chemical was on site and had been for the past year. Deaver said the key question now is why wasn't more done to prevent a massive explosion.

"What was done to keep it keep it from happening?” Deaver asked. “What safety precautions were in place? What type of interactions and communications were there with the fire fighters?"
More...

Video at Link

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/trade-association-sought-to-exclude-fertilizer-ble/nXRhZ/
Trade association sought to exclude fertilizer blenders from reporting requirements
April 19, 2013

A national trade group that represents fertilizer suppliers recently sought to convince federal lawmakers that retailers that blend fertilizer — such as West Fertilizer Co. — should be excluded from rules requiring them to cooperate in the development of emergency plans and to publicly reveal their chemical inventories.
The Agricultural Retailers Association said in its 2012 congressional lobbying report that it seeks to “work with the EPA to clarify their new Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act interpretation of fertilizer retailer to exclude facilities that blend fertilizer.”
According to association representatives, the blending of dry fertilizer, such as ammonium nitrate, is extremely safe and lumping blenders in with manufacturers represents a regulatory burden for small businesses. It’s not clear what caused Wednesday’s explosion at the West plant, which occurred after business hours.
During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee meeting last year, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., declared that “if EPA continues down this road they will be imposing additional costs on hundreds of small businesses and farmers in rural America.”
 ::snipping2::
According to the Sunlight Foundation, which first reported the lobbying effort, the Agricultural Retailers Association has spent $2.9 million since 1998 to lobby Congress on issues affecting its members. An EPA spokesperson told the Statesman on Friday that the agency has not amended its rules and continues to require enhanced reporting from fertilizer blenders.
West Fertilizer, which the association says is not a member of the group, has been fined for lax compliance with similar planning requirements.
The EPA fined the plant $2,300 in 2006 after inspectors found that the company had failed to update its risk management plan in a timely manner.
And the company’s most recent risk management plan, filed in 2011, drastically underestimated a “worst case” incident at the plant, stating that it would be a 10-minute leak of anhydrous ammonia, not the catastrophic explosion that occurred Wednesday night, for which the death toll — reported to be at least 14 as of Friday evening — is still not finalized.

http://www.kvue.com/news/203534951.html
How you can help West
Posted April 18, 2013, Updated April 19, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/6aD7eyu.jpg)
Credit: Taken by a Volunteer Firefighter
Firefighters inspect an apartment complex destroyed by an explosion at the West Chemical and Fertilizer Company on April 17, 2013. (Taken by a Volunteer Firefighter)

A deadly fertilizer plant explosion rocked West, Texas, a small community north of Waco on Wednesday evening. Below, you will find information you need to know, including organizations accepting donations as this story continues to develop.
(see lists at article link)

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Volunteer-fire-departments-bear-the-brunt-4448047.php
Volunteer fire departments bear the brunt
April 20, 2013


(http://i.imgur.com/EecRZW0.jpg)
Members of West Volunteer Fire Department attend a service at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption that honored the department's fallen firefighters in West, Texas on Friday, Apr. 19, 2013. Five of the department's firefighters lost their lives in the West Fertilizer explosion on Wednesday. Photo: Kin Man Hui, San Antonio Express-News

WEST — The volunteers who staff the West and Abbott fire departments are like family, called out from their stations just 11 minutes apart to work in unison as they put out fires and rescue car-crash victims.

This week, eight of those men died together in the massive fertilizer plant explosion in West on Wednesday night, a heavy toll on both of the small rural departments in McLennan County.

The Abbott Volunteer Fire Department, which has 15 active volunteers, lost three people. Five of 33 members of West's volunteer department were killed and another 11 hospitalized.

Doreen Strickland, president of the Abbott department, said its annual fundraiser, a chicken-and-sausage dinner that raises 25 percent of the budget, was scheduled for Sunday.

“We'll reschedule later,” she said Friday. “Right now, putting our guys to rest is what counts.”
 ::snipping2::
Across Texas, 80 percent of the firefighting contingency is made up of volunteers. State funding for the departments was slashed in 2011 from $30 million a year to $13.5 million.

State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, is pushing to get the full $30 million allocated annually.

“The tragedy at West has focused the governor and legislators' attention” on firefighters, he said.

Musician Willie Nelson, a native of Abbott who provided the money to build the fire station there more than a decade ago, said he'll donate the proceeds from his annual Birthday Bash concert on April 28 to West's volunteers.

On Friday night, the West department's Fire Engine 1 was parked in front of the church, a bright-red reminder of the tragedy that shook the community.

At a prayer vigil inside, volunteer firefighters, all wearing red West VFD shirts, sat solemnly in the front pew — one on crutches, another in a wheelchair, and a third with his arm in a sling.

Mayor pro tem Steve Vanek, also a volunteer firefighter, said the department is reeling.

“It's devastating,” he said. “We're just talking and hugging each other — that's all we can do.”

He was en route to the plant when it exploded.

“I was a quarter-mile away, or I'd be dead too,” Vanek said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-201_162-10016515.html
Texas fertilizer plant explosion

54 images

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/obama-declares-emergency-after-texas-plant-blast
Obama declares emergency after Texas plant blast
Order authorizes FEMA to coordinate relief efforts
Published April 19, 2013, Updated April 20, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has issued an emergency declaration and pledged disaster relief aid to Texas to help in the recovery efforts following this week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion near Waco.

Obama's order Friday night authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts in the town of West. Wednesday's explosion at the West Fertilizer plant killed at least 14 people, injured more than 200 others and demolished buildings for blocks around.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/emphasis-shifts-to-recovery-in-west
Emphasis shifts to recovery in West
People now face task of rebuilding lives, the town
April 20, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Federal investigators and the state fire marshal's office began inspecting the blast site Friday to collect evidence that may point to a cause. Franceska Perot, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said investigators still were combing through debris and would continue Saturday.

Meanwhile, Texas Task Force 1 began pulling its heavy equipment and members out of West on Saturday after finishing a search and rescue of a swath of the town decimated by the Wednesday night explosion.

Operations Chief Jeff Saunders says the group is more accustomed to dealing with the aftermath of tornadoes and hurricanes, not industrial explosions. He says they are preparing equipment to return to College Station.

Saunders says the team completed Friday a search of the plant site and a final sweep of a devastated nearby apartment complex. He declined to say what they saw, citing an ongoing investigation.

Texas Task Force 2 left Friday evening.

Residents cannot return to their homes until investigators are finished, Perot said. She did not have a timetable on when that might be.

Perry said the "search and rescue phase is now complete" and the "recovery side" had begun.

Asked if additional oversight was needed for fertilizer plants, Perry said "those are legitimate, appropriate questions for us to be asking."

"If there's a better way to do this, we want to know about it," he said.

There is only one funeral home in West and like much of the town Aderhold Funeral Home hasn't been operating under full power since Wednesday.

Even fully staffed, 14 funerals would overwhelm the staff, but on top of that it's down a funeral director.

Brothers Robert and Larry Payne share that responsibility. But Robert Payne, who as a volunteer firefighter was on the scene when the explosion occurred, remains in intensive care.

The state and national associations are organizing other funeral homes that have offered to supply staff and vehicles once services are arranged for the dead.

That hadn't started yet though. Robbie Bates, president elect of the National Funeral Directors Association, said that the medical examiner's office had not yet released the bodies to the families.

Bates said Aderhold was doing all it could to assist families in the midst of dealing with its own travails.

"They don't intend to charge the families," Bates said.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/official-small-fires-erupting-texas-blast-site-19007308
Official: Small Fires Erupting at Texas Blast Site
April 20, 2013

Officials are telling residents displaced by the massive fertilizer plant explosion in Texas that tanks on site are leaking gas and causing small fires.

They say the fires are contained, but they are preventing those who live nearby from returning to their homes in the town of West.
 ::snipping2::
Reed, who is also a spokesman for West, said there may be reports of "another explosion in West," but warned that those are exaggerated.

He said the leaks were caused by tanks damaged by heat and had triggered small fires. He said no further evacuations were necessary.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/residents-returning-to-homes-in-blast-zone/nXR3L/
Residents returning to homes in blast zone
April 20, 2013

Some residents were preparing to return to their homes Saturday afternoon for the first time since an explosion at a fertilizer plant devastated several blocks of the small farming town on Wednesday night.
A portion of the five-block blast zone was set to reopen at 3 p.m., the first of several stages of re-entry for residents who have waited for three tense and grief-stricken days to return to their property.
Fourteen people died in the explosion, including nine medics and volunteer firefighter
 ::snipping2::
Evacuated residents have waited anxiously to return and assess what remains of roughly 80 damaged homes after the blast Wednesday night at West Fertilizer Co.
Many are hoping to find key documents such as insurance papers and family records to help with recovery. Others simply hope to reclaim any belongings that might be buried under splintered homes.
Throughout West on Saturday morning, insurance adjusters had set up shop on various street corners and remediation crews prepared to enter the blast zone.
As they announced the first re-entry into the blast zone, authorities enacted a 7 p.m. curfew and promised that law enforcement will be patrolling the area.
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said that allowing the residents to access homes between Walnut and Oak streets is the first of several stages of re-entry.
Vanek also emphasized that he wanted to dispel rumors of any lingering health or safety hazards in the blast area.
“It is safe, it is safe, it is safe for our citizens,” he said.
 ::snipping2::
Brian Vrba, 39, said he is eager to return to his house, which he said is a couple blocks from the fertilizer plant. He said he has been told that when officials let residents in, he will be accompanied by an escort to retrieve belongings, but won’t be able to stay. “We’re just going minute to minute,” said Vrba, who is living with his family, including two daughters, age 5 and 7, at his parents’ house outside of town.
He said he was picking his daughters up from church at the time of the blast and was able to return home briefly. He said windows and doors were blown out and glass littered the hallways. “It’s not livable,” he said.
Also Saturday, officials announced that investigations by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are complete, but gave no further details.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/emphasis-shifts-to-recovery-in-west
Stage 1 of re-entry begins near blast zone
People now face task of rebuilding lives, the town
April 20, 2013

(2 pgs)
WEST, Texas (AP/KXAN) — Stage One of what will be a series of re-entry efforts began Saturday afternoon for residents in and around the blast zone in West.
 ::snipping2::
West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Venek said re-entry will begin at 3 p.m. for one area about a mile from the plant and be restricted to residents and representatives of insurance companies. He warned residents that they could expect to see a lot of debris, including broken glass, nails and more.

The area for State One re-entry is between Walnut Street on the north and Oak Street on the south .
 ::snipping2::
Residents who live in the area that will be open first were instructed to line up in their vehicles on the fringe of the neighborhood. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers will be checking identification of people to make sure only those who live their are allowed in

Because of the heavy damage, their area will only be open from 7a.m. until 7 p.m., Venek said.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/video/featured-videos/203941511.html
All missing in West disaster now accounted for
April 20, 2013

WEST, Texas — Some residents of West, Texas were allowed to return to their homes starting at 3 p.m. Saturday after delays caused by concerns that chemicals at the West Fertilizer plant might still pose a threat.
"Everything is safe, safe and safe," Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said at a mid-afternoon news conference.
Vanek said Saturday night that search and rescue teams did not find  any additional victims in the ruins of Wednesday's massive explosion that killed 14 people and left more than 200 others injured.
But West residents whose homes are closest to the site of Wednesday's powerful blast are not yet cleared to go in.
Officials did not address reasons for multiple delays on Saturday, nor did they discuss concerns about any lingering hazards at the blast site.
Law enforcement issued a warning earlier Saturday after tanks began leaking gas, causing small fires.
The fires were being contained, but a source said federal authorities want to make certain there is no chance for another explosion.
"The site is safe," said Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner at a Saturday evening news briefing. "There are no safety concerns out on the site."
He said, however, that officials would begin removing some chemical storage tanks from the fertilizer plant property on Saturday night so the investigation into the cause can continue.
"We have to figure out where the fire started, what caused the fire," Kistner said, adding there is no indication yet of any criminal activity.
Kistner also said Union Pacific would begin repairs on the damaged rail line adjacent to the plant on Sunday morning.
A town hall meeting for residents on Saturday afternoon started with a prayer for the city and those who were killed and injured in Wednesday's blast.
Officials at the meeting conceded they had failed to communicate clearly with citizens of the town of 2,800.
 ::snipping2::
Vanek said residents who live between Oak Street and Walnut Street would be permitted to return in what he called Stage 1 of the reentry process.
Vanek said there are a number of stipulations:
a 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. curfew will be enforced
residents can remain in their homes at their own risk between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., but will not be permitted to go outside during those hours
no vehicle larger than a pickup truck will be allowed in the impacted area
no more than two vehicles are permitted per residential address
the Texas Department of Public Safety will assign a reentry number to each vehicle
only residents 18 years or older are permitted to enter the blast zone
Vanek  said the access point for residents would be at the corner of Reagan Street and Tokio Street faicng south starting at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The mayor pro tem said there would be a town meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall in West at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Earlier on Saturday, city officials close to the blast site were told to move away from the area.
Paramedic Bryce Reed said the leaks on Saturday were caused by tanks damaged by heat and had triggered small fires. He said no further evacuations were necessary.
Workers were placing heavy concrete barriers across streets leading into damaged neighborhoods in West on Saturday.

http://www.kvue.com/news/203935541.html
First responders paid a heavy toll in West disaster
April 20, 2013

WEST, Texas — Jerry Chapman and Cyrus Reed were volunteers at the Abbott Fire Company. Both worked there for nearly four years.
And firefighter Perry Calvin often assisted the town of Abbott.
All three were in West when the fire at the fertilizer plant broke out on Wednesday evening. They were taking EMT classes, and were one week from graduating.
They all responded immediately.
They all died.
 ::snipping2::
On Saturday, proceeds from meals purchased at the Black Eyed Pea in Hillsboro — a place where Jerry Chapman worked — were earmarked to help the Chapman family.

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/font-color000000VIDEOfont-Suspect-speeds-by-in-pickup-truck-203991631.html
Residents of West reflect at outdoor church service
April 21, 2013

WEST, Texas — First Baptist Church of West conducted open-air services on Sunday morning.
The congregation's church building is inside the blast zone left by Wednesday's devastating explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed 14 people. The roof of the church was damaged.
Chairs were set up in a field for the worship service on Saturday. Early Sunday, Associate Pastor Phil Immicke was seen draping fabric over a wooden cross on a temporary platform.
The church welcomed those dressed casually who were unable to access their "Sunday clothes" due to the disaster in their town.
"We are family," Senior Pastor John Crowder told the large crowd during the 10 a.m. service, adding that family members need to be together now more than ever.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22034322/cash-blood-donations-needed-most-in-west
Cash, blood donations needed most in West
April 21, 2013

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/12-of-14-confirmed-dead-were-first-responders/nXSLq/
12 of 14 confirmed dead were first-responders
April 21, 2013

WEST — Twelve of the 14 confirmed dead in Wednesday’s fertilizer plant explosion were firefighters and medics who had rushed to the plant when a fire there was first reported, authorities said on Sunday.
The other two confirmed deaths were civilians who authorities believe were at an apartment complex near the fertilizer plant.
Today, the State Fire Marshal’s Office announced its priority is to continue an investigation into the line of duty deaths of the firefighters and medics. Investigators are still piecing together a timeline of when the fire started, when the explosion happened, and what caused it.
 ::snipping2::
Also Sunday, authorities planned to open up the blast zone to a limited pool of journalists, giving the public its first ground-level glimpse at the 5-block section of the city that took the brunt of the explosion. Fifty homes, the 22-unit apartment complex and two schools were damaged or destroyed, officials have said.
Authorities on Sunday said investigators have spotted the “seat” of the explosion, which created a crater in the ground and registered as a 2.1-magnitude earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.
 ::snipping2::
The city’s public works director is working with state officials to determine the damage to the city’s water system and restore service to the affected neighborhoods.
A memorial service has been scheduled for Thursday at Baylor University for the first responders who perished in the blast, coordinated by the Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force.
The service will be held at 2 p.m. at the Ferrell Center at Baylor University, 1900 S. University Park in Waco. Organizers, who were in West on Sunday, expect a strong showing from firefighters across the state.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/4-more-1st-responders-identified-in-west
4 more 1st responders identified in West
One school obliterated, another may be razed
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — Officials and family members have identified four more first responders who died in last week's deadly Texas fertilizer plant explosion.

At least 14 people died in Wednesday's explosion at the plant in the Texas town of West. West Mayor Tommy Muska has said that 10 of the 14 who died were first responders.

On Sunday, professional organizations and family and friends identified four more of the first responders who died: brothers Doug and Robert Snokhous, who were both firefighters with the West Volunteer Fire Department; Jerry Chapman, a firefighter with the Abbott Volunteer Fire Department; and Kevin Sanders, who worked with West EMS and another area volunteer fire department.

One school campus was obliterated, and on the eve of 1,500 students returning to class for the first time since Wednesday's blast, Superintendent Marty Crawford said the high school and middle school could also be razed.

Nearly 70 federal and state investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire that set off the explosion, Kirstner said. Authorities say there are no signs of criminal intent.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Students-return-to-class-in-West-days-after-deadly-explosion-204067211.html
West students return to class days after deadly explosion
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas -- West ISD students returned back to class Monday for the first time since a deadly fertilizer plant explosion.
According to the district's website, Pre-K through 6th grade headed back to West Elementary School.  For middle and high schoolers, class will resume at a vacant school in Connally ISD just outside Waco.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Displaced-West-students-go-back-to-school-204079841.html
Displaced West students go back to school following plant blast
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas — Wednesday's explosion at West Fertilizer Company destroyed the town's intermediate school and left three out of four West ISD campuses unusable.
But nearly 800 students will return to the classroom on Monday for the first time since the blast, with the help of good neighbors in nine area school districts.
More than 1,000 people in the neighboring Connally ISD have been working around the clock to make the victims of the West disaster feel at home.
"People have been coming from everywhere bringing desks, food and donations," said Connally ISD employee Larry Barber.
 ::snipping2::
The desks are ready with binders, paper and pencils; workers even put up a sign relabeling the building "West Middle/High School," complete with the school's logo.
Students made ribbons in West colors and added welcome signs to lockers and hallways.
 ::snipping2::
The Texas Education Agency said STAAR testing for West students will be put on hold for the time being.
West ISD parents were getting e-mails from the district on Sunday with all the details they need about the temporary classrooms, complete with bus information and drop-off locations.
Students from Pre-K to 6th grade will continue to attend school on the West Elementary campus, which was not damaged in the fertilizer plant explosion.
The West ISD issued a statement requesting only monetary donations from now on; it has enough school supplies and materials.
Point West Bank and Trust (254-826-5333) and State National Bank (254-826-3741) are accepting cash donations on behalf of the school district.
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/honor-guard-holds-vigil-for-fallen-firefighters-in-west-explosion-204032371.html
Honor guard stands vigil for fallen firefighters in West
April 22, 2013

WEST, Texas — A public memorial for the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in West is set for Thursday at Baylor University.
It will take place at the Ferrell Center on the Baylor campus at 2 p.m.
 ::snipping2::
Fallen Dallas Fire Rescue Capt. Kenneth Harris Jr. will lie in repose at a West funeral home starting Monday morning. His funeral is set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Church of the Assumption Catholic Church in West.
Harris lived in West with his family while working as a Dallas firefighter. He wasn't on duty at the time of the explosion, but rushed to help the volunteers who were trying to deal with the initial fire.
Throughout the weekend, we've seen images of first responders honoring their fallen brothers — firefighters, police and paramedics escorting the bodies and standing guard.
 ::snipping2::
The honor guard stands by the bodies — from the site of the explosion to the halls of the funeral home, firefighters are always nearby, standing at attention, every hour of every day until the burial.
"They went out to protect others; they gave the ultimate sacrifice; and we're there to protect them," said honor guard member Terry Wygal.
He and others are honoring people like:
Jerry Chapman — a volunteer firefighter who was just 26 years old
Doug and Robert Snokhous — brothers, best friends and fathers
Capt. Kenny Harris — the off-duty Dallas firefighter and West resident who rushed in to help
There were many others, all killed protecting fellow citizens.
It is an honor now returned.
"That's why we're there 24 hours a day, to make sure that they're not left behind until they're at their final resting place," said Wendy Norris of the Texas Line of Duty Task Force.
With so many lost and so many funerals ahead, the honor guard expects to continue its somber duty for many days to come.

Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/lawsuits-filed-against-west-fertilizer
Lawsuits filed against West Fertilizer
Officials say rail car not cause of deadly blast
April 23, 2013

WEST, Texas (KXAN) - Two lawsuits accusing the owner of West Fertilizer Co. of negligence have been filed in connection with the explosion that killed at least 14 people in the small town north of Waco.

Both civil actions were filed in the McLennan County district court against Adair Grain Inc., which also does business as West Fertilizer. One of the lawsuits was jointly filed by 10 businesses and two churches in West and their insurance companies.

"The explosion and its aftermath caused severe damage to Plaintiff's insured's property and business," one lawsuit says. "Defendant's negligent acts of omission were the proximate cause of the explosion that resulted in damages to the Plaintiffs, including the destruction (of) real and personal property and lost profits."

The second suit was filed by Andrea Jones Gutierrez, a single mother who said her families belongings were destroyed in her apartment near the blast zone. She is seeking up to $1 million for lost possessions and lost wages and benefits.

No cause for the blast that started with a fire at the plant on Wednesday night has been identified. Kelly Kisner of the State Fire Marshal's Office said Tuesday  that a rail car near the blast site was not the cause. More likely, the fire and explosion were sparked by someone who was killed at the scene.
 ::snipping2::
Officials in West said the blast forged a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep. It shook the ground like a small earthquake, officials said.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Rail-car-ruled-out-as-cause-of-explosion-4455952.php
Rail car ruled out as cause of explosion
April 23, 2013

WEST — Officials on Tuesday ruled out a rail car filled with ammonium nitrate as the cause of last week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

The announcement, at an afternoon press conference, came from Assistant State Fire Marshall Kelly Kistner, who called the rail car “a victim of that explosion.”

On Monday, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Bryan Shaw raised the possibility that a rail car at the plant filled with ammonium nitrate had caused the blast at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 people and injured scores of residents in this tiny town of 2,800 people.

But Kistner also said officials have yet to determine the exact cause of the explosion and still don't know how much ammomium nitrate was stored at the facility at the time of the disaster Wednesday.

More than 70 federal and state agents are combing the blast site, going “shovel by shovel” through the debris, Kistner said.

Investigators have now determined the explosion caused a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep, said Robert Champion, special agent in charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms' Dallas Field Division. Champion said investigative teams will be at the fertilizer plant site for at least four to five more days.

Though it has been almost a week since the explosion, West Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said it's still unclear when residents who lived in the area closest to the decimated fertilizer plant will be able to return to their homes.

“It is not safe,” he said.

Crews are still trying to restore utilities; residents on the south side of town have water that can be used for showering and washing clothes but not for drinking.

A large memorial for the fallen first responders will be at Baylor University on Thursday. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama plan to attend.

The controversial Westboro Baptist Church, known for its conservative teachings, particularly against homosexuality, has announced it plans to picket the memorial.

Addressing reporters Tuesday afternoon, McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara never referenced any organization by name but said that any group that tries to disrupt the event “will be dealt with swiftly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

One of the victims was eulogized at his funeral Mass Tuesday as a loving husband and father who was called home by God.

“Today, our hearts are heavy. We know there has been so much tragedy,” Father Ed Karasek said about Mariano C. Saldivar, who died in an apartment complex, one of the closest buildings to the plant.

The service was held at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, where several more services are planned in the days ahead for other victims.
 ::snipping2::
A native of Mexico, Saldivar moved to California and worked in the warehousing industry, according to an obituary released by a Waco funeral home. He retired in 2008 and moved to West to be near his family.

Saldivar will be buried in Portland, Ore.

Services for Kenneth “Luckey” Harris, a Dallas fire captain who lived in West, are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday, also at St. Mary's in West. Harris, 52, will be buried just outside of town at Bold Springs Cemetery.

A funeral for Joseph F. “Joey” Pustejovsky, a volunteer firefighter and the city secretary in West, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at St. Mary's church. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery near West.
Services for West volunteer firefighter William R. “Buck” Uptmor Jr., 45, are set for 11 a.m. Saturday, at St. Mary's church. He will be buried at St. Martin's Cemetery in nearby Tours.

A funeral for Adolph H. Lander, a 96-year-old nursing home resident who died after being evacuated, was held Sunday in Hillsboro. Lander, a World War II veteran, was buried in Gerald Cemetery near Waco.[/b]

A spokesman for Aderhold Funeral Home, the only mortuary in West, said more services are planned here next week for first responders and a 65-year-old woman killed in the blast.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/blast-damage-in-west-more-extensive-than-anticipat/nXWFN/
Blast damage in West more extensive than anticipated
April 23, 2013

Destruction in the city of West appears to be even greater than officials previously estimated as 142 homes — including at least 92 single-family or mobile homes — were destroyed, according to a State Situation Report issued by the Department of Public Safety’s division of emergency management.
The massive explosion April 17 at West Fertilizer Co. left a crater more than 90 feet wide. DPS officials had said earlier that about 50 homes were destroyed in the blast, which killed 14 people and injured more than 200.
The situation report, which cited ongoing assessments, said 350 homes — including 296 single-family, 50 multifamily and four mobile homes — were damaged by the explosion. In addition to the 142 that were destroyed, 51 sustained major damage, 27 had minor damage and 130 were affected in some other way.
State investigators have not yet reached a damage estimate in dollars.
The tally of destroyed homes includes an apartment complex where two residents were killed. Funeral services for one of the residents were held Tuesday, drawing about 150 mourners to St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-explosion-tapes-tell-critical-story-of-hidden-danger-204387861.html
Recordings tell critical story of hidden danger at fertilizer plant
April 23, 2013

While investigators look for clues at the scene of last Wednesday's fertilizer plant explosion in Central Texas, one key piece of evidence can only be heard: The West Fire Department dispatcher tapes.
The 19 minutes of radio transmissions provide a critical and accurate of portrayal of what first responders saw... and the danger they didn’t.
West Police Unit 209: "West Fertilizer, one of their mills is on fire. There's... heavy smoke coming out of the top of it."
That was the call from West Police officer, Unit 209, who at 7:33 p.m. alerts dispatchers of a developing fire at the West Fertilizer Company on the northeast end of town.

Dispatcher: "51 Fire, 51 Fire. Respond to West Fertilizer Plant they have, a fire out there."
Two minutes later, at 7:35 p.m., Unit 209 arrives at the scene.

Unit 209: "There's heavy smoke coming out of one of the buildings behind the fertilizer... one of the grains here."
Is it one of the mills full of grain or one of the buildings filled with chemical fertilizer? It's difficult to tell.
So at 7:36 p.m., Unit 209 asks the dispatcher to find out.

Unit 209: "Can you locate an emergency contact for West Fertilizer to see if I can get in touch with the owner?"
One minute later — six minutes after the initial call — the first fire truck arrives.
West Fire Department: “West Fire, you can show us on scene. We have flames. F8 to F9, need to go ahead and hook to a hydrant."
Nowhere in the transmissions is there any discussion of chemicals or a potential for an explosion at the facility.
Kent Worley, a former state fire protection commissioner, said the volunteer firefighters should have been prepared for the worst.
"Would they know exactly what they had at that specific moment in time, every amount of product was on hand? That would be difficult to know, and difficult for them to know," Worley said.
But one person was verbalizing danger.

Unit 209: "One of your firefighters is already on scene; I'm going to head towards the park and the evacuate the park. There's people over there."

It's now 7:40 p.m., one minute after firefighters first arrived on the scene. The fire is already getting out of hand.
West Fire Department: "Go ahead and get Abbott in Hill County. Go ahead and have them come up here with another engine. We are going to... this is fully involved, big time."
For the next eight minutes, we hear little in the recordings.
Then — at 7:48 p.m. — Unit 209 radios in with critical information.

Unit 209: "I've got the plant manager here. I don't know if you need him down here, but I've got him parked next to my car if you need him."
A plant manager would be able to provide critical information about any chemicals or danger lurking in any of the facilities or buildings on fire.
Among the chemicals inside, the common but potentially explosive fertilizer ammonium nitrate.
"Ammonium nitrate obviously can be a very volatile product, and there's precautions you obviously you have to utilize when you are dealing with that kind of fire," Worley explained.
At 7:51 p.m., we hear one brief transmission:

West Fire Department: "73,000 gallons of water."
It was the last transmission before the explosion.
The next thing that is heard from the scene is the panicked cry for help from a firefighter who survived.

West Fire Department: "We need every ambulance we can get this way. A bomb just went off inside here. It's pretty bad. We've got a lot of firemen down."
Moments later, another call:

West Fire Department: "We need somebody here now. We've had a bomb go off in here."
 ::snipping2::

Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/group-plant-blast-loss-likely-exceeds-100-million
Group: Plant blast loss likely exceeds $100 million
Insurance Council estimates released Wednesday
April 24, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — The damage to surrounding homes and businesses caused by an explosion at the West fertilizer plant was estimated Wednesday to exceed $100 million, as crews continued to sift through a 90-foot-wide crater searching for answers.

The Insurance Council of Texas released its estimate after speaking to numerous adjusters and agents in West, Texas, where officials and displaced residents are working to rebuild after last week's blast. The explosion killed at least 14 people, injured 200 and damaged dozens of buildings.

Investigators have not determined what started the blast or whether it was intentional. At least two lawsuits have been filed against Adair Grain Inc., which operated the West Fertilizer plant.

Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council, said that total figure included estimates on how many homes were destroyed, the property inside and the cost of relocating residents. As many as 140 homes were damaged, he said. With housing limited in West, many families are living in nearby Waco or Hillsboro.
 ::snipping2::
Investigators said Wednesday that the explosion occurred at 7:51 p.m. on April 17 — 18 minutes after first responders, including volunteer firefighters from West, were alerted to a fire at West Fertilizer. Most of the 10 first responders who died in the explosion were found east of the main crater, Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner said.

Officials continue to study fire and blast patterns to try to determine what ignited on the site and how, Kistner said.

"Right now, think of that coffee table where all 100 pieces are gathered around," said Brian Hoback, national response team supervisor for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Work crews were spread across the site Wednesday. Some were digging with shovels through the ruins of a building. Others were sifting through the remains of two silos, one that held corn and the other holding milo or sorghum.

A rail car that carried ammonium nitrate remained on site, covered by a tarp. Officials don't believe it was the cause of the blast.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/on-tv/west-memorial-service-and-presidents-address-on-WFAA-and-WFAAcom-204495121.html
Thursday's West memorial service and president's address on WFAA / WFAA.com / TXCN
April 24, 2013

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/jones-charity-donates-100k-after-texas-explosion/nXWmN/
Jones charity donates $100K after Texas explosion
April 24, 2013

ARLINGTON, Texas — A charity operated by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has donated $100,000 for recovery efforts after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.
The Cowboys on Wednesday announced the donation from the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Charities to the Salvation Army.
 ::snipping2::
Salvation Army personnel will be at Thursday's NFL draft party at Cowboys Stadium to accept financial donations from fans for recovery efforts in West. Donations are also being accepted online.
___
Online:
https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/texas/WestExplosion

http://www.kvue.com/news/West-procession-204587461.html
First of 12 West first responders killed laid to rest
April 24, 2013

WEST, Texas -- A procession through the streets of West honored the 12 first responders killed in Wednesday's fertilizer company blast.
The procession followed the first funeral of one responder Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenny Harris Jr. who called West home.

Some members of the Austin Fire Department staffed the Whitney Fire House so other colleagues could attend.
 ::snipping2::
One week after the blast, many families are still waiting to go inside their homes to  see what they can salvage. With inspections continuing, they're being told that will happen soon, but that a resource officer will escort them.  They don't want anyone else injured.

A 15th death has been attributed to the blast. A nursing home resident rescued from the home died hours after the explosion.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Obama-order-flags-flown-at-half-staff-in-Texas-204568301.html
Obama orders flags flown at half-staff in Texas
April 24, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has ordered that the U.S. flag at federal buildings and military facilities in Texas be flown at half-staff Thursday in memory of the victims who died in the fertilizer plant explosion last week in the town of West, Texas.
Obama signed the proclamation Wednesday.
Obama will attend a memorial service for the victims on Thursday at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. He had already planned to be in the state for the dedication of former President George W. Bush's presidential library at Southern Methodist University.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/last-wave-of-residents-allowed-back-in-west
Last wave of residents allowed back in to pick up the pieces
Many will have to find new homes
April 24, 2013

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/gaps-in-records-cited-at-west-plant
Gaps in records cited at West plant
Plant may have had 270 tons of ammonium nitrate
April 24, 2013

HOUSTON (AP) — A fertilizer plant that exploded in Central Texas last week, killing at least 14 people, could have stored up to 270 tons of ammonium nitrate.

But investigators say they don't know how much of the explosive chemical was kept at the fertilizer company in West, Texas, because of gaps in government regulations. Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the blast.

The Department of Homeland Security requires companies with more than 400 pounds of ammonium nitrate to register for possible security screening. The Texas company didn't register, but it wasn't clear whether it needed to comply.

Owners of West Fertilizer have said in a statement that they are cooperating with investigators but have not commented on the explosion.
 ::snipping2::

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/7062/1/funeral-for-dallas-fire-rescue-captain/fire-captain-among-dead-in-west/
Funeral for Dallas fire rescue captain
Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenny Harris died in the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. His funeral was held Wednesday afternoon
April 24, 2013


(http://i.imgur.com/WXMDN0x.jpg)
Fire captain among dead in West
Harris, 52, lived in West. He was off duty at the time, but rushed to the fertilizer plant when he found it was on fire. He died in the explosion.

(Photo Gallery with 10 images)

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/czechs-to-send-funds-to-blast-hit-texas-town
Czechs to send funds to help West recover
Donations total $200,000 in US dollars
April 24, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/YhBAO7d.jpg)
Remains of the the West Fertilizer Co. plant smolder in the rain on Thursday, April 18, 2013, in West, Texas. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool)

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic plans to donate 4 million koruna (some $200,000 in American money) to help the Texas town of West recover from a devastating fertilizer plant explosion.

The government decided to the provide aid in solidarity because a significant number of people in the town of 2,700 have Czech roots. The blast damaged numerous homes in the town.
 ::snipping2::
A ministry statement Wednesday said the money will go toward repairing property in the town.

Thousands of Czechs, mostly from the eastern part known of Moravia, settled in Texas more than 100 years ago.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/west-fertilizer_n_3134202.html?google_editors_picks=true
West Fertilizer Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years
Posted April 22, 2013, Updated April 23, 2013

WEST, Texas -- Long before it captured national headlines as the scene of a lethal industrial explosion, the fertilizer plant on the edge of this central Texas town had been a community fixture, a crucial supply depot for farmers and ranchers who worked the surrounding pastures.

No one seemed to regard it as a threat.

"It's been there so long that you just take it for granted," said Jeanette Karlik, a columnist for the local newspaper, the West News.

That same attitude -- the assumption that nothing of consequence could go wrong here -- appears to have shaped the actions of the seven or more state and federal regulatory agencies that collectively shared oversight responsibility for the plant, according to a Huffington Post investigation.

Through interviews with former regulators and community leaders, as well as a review of hundreds of pages of documents going back to 1976, a sense emerges that no institution sounded the alarm here, even as fertilizer piled up inside the plant, creating a potentially deadly tinderbox in close proximity to the town. No one effectively prepared for the emergency that eventually materialized, leaving this community uniquely vulnerable to the tragedy that unfolded last week when the plant caught fire and exploded, killing 14 people and ripping apart an apartment building, a school and dozens of homes.

In June 2011 -- less than two years before the explosion -- the private company that owns the plant, the West Fertilizer Co., filed an emergency response plan with the Environmental Protection Agency stating that there was "no" risk of fire or explosion at the facility. The worst scenario that plant officials acknowledged was the possible release of a small amount of ammonia gas into the atmosphere.

Fertilizer long has been recognized as a dangerous combustible material. One variety, ammonium nitrate -- a pellet-shaped product typically shipped in large bags -- caused the deadliest industrial accident in American history, the explosion of a ship at the port of Texas City in 1947, which took the lives of more than 500 people.

In 1995, Timothy McVeigh used about two tons of ammonium nitrate to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. As recently as 2012, the West Fertilizer plant held some 270 tons of that substance, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Yet, according to a Reuters report, the stores of ammonium nitrate here never tripped the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which apparently was unaware of the plant’s existence.

Documents reviewed by The Huffington Post indicate that the last time regulators performed a full safety inspection of the facility was nearly 28 years ago. The entity with primary authority to ensure workplace safety, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, last visited in 1985, according to OSHA records.

Since then, regulators from other agencies have been inside the plant, but they looked only at certain aspects of plant operations, such as whether the facility was abiding by labeling rules when packaging its fertilizer for sale.

The most recent partial safety inspection at West Fertilizer was in 2011. That inspection, by the U.S Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Commission, led to a $5,200 fine for a variety of infractions, including failing to draft a safety plan for the transport of the large canisters of pressurized anhydrous ammonia stored on site.

In 2006, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the primary enforcer of environmental law in the state, noted that two schools were situated within 3,000 feet of the fertilizer plant. But the agency determined that "the impact potential" of an accident on the neighboring community "was low."

When assessing risks at the plant, the commission and the EPA focused solely on the potential hazards of the ammonium canisters, such as whether they were stored correctly or were leaking. The agencies did not inspect to see if other chemicals on hand might ignite and explode.
 ::snipping2::
As investigators combed through the blackened rubble of the factory over the weekend, and as the citizens of West began to mourn their dead, many questions remained about the disaster. Still unclear was how the fire started, whether the plant's materials had been properly stored and protected, and whether local firefighters had responded appropriately.

Fire safety experts suspect that a fire ignited the ammonium nitrate pellets stored on site, and that in turn may have caused the pressurized contents of cannisters of another ammonia substance to expand and explode outward with tremendous force. Investigators have not yet released a determination of the cause.

But one thing had become painfully clear: The community-wide notion that an explosion at the plant was not something to worry about was proven tragically wrong.
Much more...
Slide show with 30 images

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/25/us-usa-explosion-texas-idUSBRE93O01D20130425
Hundreds attend funeral for Texas firefighter killed in blast
April 24, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/nIQ0yLW.jpg)


(Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters and a drum and pipe band joined residents of a Texas town on Wednesday to honor a firefighter who died one week ago in an explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed 13 others and injured some 200.

Authorities said on Wednesday they have not determined the cause of the blast at the West Fertilizer Co in the town of West, a Czech-American community between Austin and Dallas.

A fire initially broke out at the plant followed by the fiery explosion approximately 22 minutes later, officials said. The focus of the investigation is on learning where the fire started in order to determine what caused the larger blast.

"The main focus in the investigation is the fire," said Robert Champion, special agent in charge of the federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), from the Dallas field office.

The plant stored and mixed fertilizer for local farmers, including dangerous anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate.

Most of those killed were first responders who were battling the blaze, so investigators are looking where charred fire trucks are located, as well as a large crater, for clues.

Kenneth "Luckey" Harris, Jr., 52, a Dallas firefighter who lived in West, was among 11 first responders and three others killed when the plant exploded, injuring about 200 people. He was off-duty at the time.

Firefighters from departments across Texas - most in formal dress uniforms - packed into the St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption and an overflow area outside, where mourners included horseback riders in chaps toting U.S. and Texas flags and leather-clad members of several motorcycle clubs.

In his eulogy, Dallas Fire Chief Louie Bright paid tribute to Harris' leadership, dedication and courage, noting that in the course of their careers, firefighters face situations that test whether the "job is just a paycheck or ... a passion."
 ::snipping2::
The toll on first responders in the West blast is the highest in one single incident in the state since a disaster in Texas City in 1947, the Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force has said. In that incident, a cargo ship packed with fertilizer exploded, killing more than 500 people, among them more than two dozen local volunteer firefighters.

President Barack Obama plans to attend a memorial service on Thursday for victims of the West explosion, the White House said. The service will be held at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

The government of the Czech Republic said on Wednesday it would send approximately $200,000 in aid to the town founded by Czech immigrants in the 19th century and known for its bakeries selling Czech pastries.

Czech-Americans also have organized a fundraising campaign to offer disaster relief to the town of about 2,700 people, the Czech Embassy in Washington said.

BUMP

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/report-federal-agency-charged-with-oversight-of-fe/nXXGj/
EXPLOSION IN WEST
Report: Federal agency charged with oversight of fertilizer plant security in disarray
April 24, 2013



The Homeland Security Department program charged with the security of chemical facilities like the former West Fertilizer Co. plant has been riddled with problems so severe since its creation five years ago that federal investigators recently wondered publicly “whether it can achieve its mission, given the challenges the program continues to face.”
A devastating Homeland Security inspector general report released in March lays bare an alarming pattern of poor planning and ineffective execution that beset nearly every aspect of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, as well as the subsequent misleading of congressional overseers, who were told the program was making progress.
A patchwork of state and federal agencies regulated the West fertilizer plant, but nearly all focused not on plant safety, but on pollution concerns or securing the facility and its potentially dangerous fertilizers from criminal or terrorist threat.
The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program was sparked by the 9/11 attacks and began in 2007 to better protect the nation’s chemical facilities from terrorist theft or attack.
Like thousands of chemical facilities in the nation, the West Fertilizer Co. likely was required to fill out a survey with the Homeland Security Department so authorities could determine its terrorist threat risk. The plant hadn’t done so before it exploded April 18, killing 14 people, injuring 200 others and destroying 142 homes and apartments in West.
But Homeland Security’s regulation wouldn’t have had much to do with preventing an explosion. “Their mandate has nothing to do with safe storage,” wrote chemical expert Patrick Coyle on his Chemical Facility Security News blog recently. “They are responsible for overseeing the secure storage of the material.”
A close look at the Homeland Security program shows that had West Fertilizer Co. been regulated — and become one of the few facilities in the country to develop an approved site security plan — the program could have fostered additional collaboration between the plant and emergency responders.
Such a plan would require a closer look at “specific threats, vulnerabilities, or risks,” according to the Homeland Security Department.
It’s unclear if such a security-focused plan would have been more complete than a risk management plan the plant filed with the Environmental Protection Agency. The risk plan identified a worst-case scenario as a 10-minute gas leak of anhydrous ammonia. But the EPA risk plan wasn’t charged with regulating the tons of ammonium nitrate stored at the facility, which, pending the completion of a forensic investigation, experts have speculated was involved in the explosion.
Officials haven’t released the emergency response plan for the plant filed with local first responders.
But according to the inspector general’s report, for Homeland Security to get to the point of developing a site security plan would have been difficult. Frustrated investigators found problems with everything from the software used to determine a facility’s risk level, to a training academy for inspectors that was created before the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program even began and later had to be shut down because it was so ineffective.
More...

PRIORITY COVERAGE
This report is part of the American-Statesman’s extensive and continuing coverage of the tragedy in West.
Look for live coverage of Thursday’s West Memorial Service at Baylor University online at statesman.com.

http://www.kvue.com/news/national/204626501.html
Fathers, firefighters: Lives lost in West, Texas
April 25, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — On April 17, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, leveled part of the small town located some 20 miles north of Waco. Most of the victims were first responders from fire departments in West and other nearby towns that were on the scene trying to control the fire that preceded the blast.
With help from relatives, friends and obituaries of the deceased released by local funeral homes, The Associated Press compiled vignettes of some of the 14 victims who died in the blast. They were a grandmother, a town secretary, a fire truck builder, a town festival organizer, fishing enthusiasts, hunters, fathers, men preparing to become emergency medical technicians, and devoted church and local organization members.
Here are their stories:

WILLIAM "BUCK" UPTMOR: Fence-builder, musician, rodeo devotee
Uptmor, 45, owned a fence-building business and was supposed to start a job at a nearby ranch soon. Among other projects, Uptmor's company built the local cemetery's fence, said Bill McKown, a retired school superintendent from Abbott, Texas, a town six miles from West.
"He was always busy," building fences, McKown said. "Because he was very reliable."
Uptmor was the drummer for the band Billy Uptmor and the Makers. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, watching his children's sporting events, coaching Little League and supporting his daughter in barrel racing. He trained and jockeyed race horses and loved to rodeo, whether it was riding bulls or saddle and bareback broncos, according to an obituary released by a funeral home in West.
"I told him: 'You probably got every bone in your body broken.' And he said, 'That's probably true,'" McKown said.
He is survived by his wife of 13 years, Arcy Uptmor, his parents, two sons, a daughter, a grandmother, a brother, a sister and several nieces and nephews.

JOEY PUSTEJOVSKY: A caring, devout man
Joey Pustejovsky, 29, one of the volunteer firefighters killed in the blast, was the secretary for the town of West, said Veronica Felderhoff, a volunteer at the church where Pustejovsky's mother, Carolyn, works as a secretary to the rectory.
"He was a very caring person, always ready to help, a very devout Catholic," Felderhoff said. The Pustejovskys attended Mass every Sunday.
A funeral home obituary said Pustejovsky had been town secretary since 2009 and had worked as a personal property appraiser for McLennan County Appraisal District. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of The Assumption, where he started the youth ministry and was the director for two years of the Catholic Brothers and Sisters United Youth Ministry, the obituary said.
He loved spending time with his children and family as well as being involved in the community and his church.
The youngest of three brothers, Pustejovsky is survived by his wife, four children, his parents, a brother, grandmother and other relatives.

PERRY CALVIN: Father, husband, firefighter
Perry Calvin, 37, died responding to the fire at the fertilizer plant. His father, Phil Calvin, said Perry, a husband and father of two boys ages 9 and 2, was looking forward to his wife having a new baby around Thanksgiving.
He was a volunteer firefighter at the Navarro Mills and Martens fire departments and was attending EMS classes in West. He also was a student at the Hill County Fire College.
He was a self-employed farmer and loved the outdoors. He enjoyed horseback riding, rodeos, fishing and spending time with his family, a funeral home obituary said.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Ann Calvin, two sons, his father, a brother, two sisters, grandmother, nieces, nephews and other relatives.

JIMMY MATUS: Fire truck-builder and operator
Matus, 52, was killed while responding to the fire that caused the explosion. He was the sales manager at Westex Welding & Fire Apparatus, a company that builds fire trucks. For the past 40 years, he worked at the company and for the last half of that time he managed all aspects of the business, a funeral home obituary said.
"Jimmy was an outstanding man, someone who would go out of his way to help you. That's the way we are taught," said Garratt Matus of his father's cousin, Jimmy Matus.
Matus graduated from West High School in 1979.
He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, SPJST Lodge 54, Sokol West and the State Fireman's Association, and an honorary member of the Masonic Lodge in West. He also served on the West ISD school board and played Santa Claus for local organizations, the obituary said.
He is survived by his parents, his son and daughter, two stepdaughters, two sisters, grandchildren, nieces and other relatives.
List continued...

I'm trying to go back through articles to find information on the 15th person to die in the West explosions.  I remember reading there was an elderly gentlemen who died from a heart attack in the hospital after being rescued from the nursing home. I'll continue to look for the article.
 
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/West-Prepares-To-Bury-Its-Dead-203992381.html
West Explosion Claims 15th Victim
April 21, 2013

WEST (April 22, 2013)—The death toll from the powerful fertilizer plant explosion Wednesday night in West rose to 15 Monday.

A source close to the investigation confirmed that one of the people injured in the explosion died at a hospital, but had no other details.
 ::snipping2::
Videos at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/obama-order-flags-flown-at-half-staff-in-texas
Memorial to honor those who died in blast
President Obama will be on hand
Published April 24, 2013, Updated April 25, 2013

WACO, Texas (KXAN/AP) - President Barack Obama has ordered that the U.S. flag at federal buildings and military facilities in Texas be flown at half-staff Thursday in memory of the victims who died in the fertilizer plant explosion last week in the town of West, Texas.

Obama signed the proclamation Wednesday.

The President will attend a memorial service for the victims on Thursday at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Organizers are expecting the Ferrell Center to be a packed. Around 4,000 uniformed first responders are expected to be in attendance, and the memorial is open to the public
 ::snipping2::
The service begins at 2 p.m., but the day's events start well before that. At 11 a.m., firefighters and other first responders will march in a processional to the center.

Some 300 fire trucks from across the country will line the route. The march is expected to take two hours.

Doors at the arena will open at 11a.m. and remain open until 1:45 p.m., or until the center reaches capacity. University officials said those attending will go through airport-like security. Cameras and cell phones will be allowed.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/obama-listed-among-speakers-at-service
Obama listed among speakers at service
Massive memorial honors fallen firefighters
April 25, 2013

WEST, Texas (KXAN) - Less than 24 hours after the last wave of residents in West were allowed back into their homes to comb through what was left, preparations for a massive memorial for the 12 firefighters who died in the explosion are under way.
 ::snipping2::
The Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service is set to happen at Baylor University, where the president himself will speak. The 12 firefighters who died battling the fire and explosion will be remembered, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Ferrell Center at 1900 South University Parks Dr.

In addition to President Barack Obama on hand, the speakers on the list include Gov. Rick Perry and top fire officials.

The speakers, in order of appearance:

Chief Ronald J. Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
Chief Ernest Mitchell, Jr., United States Fire Administrator
Bill Gardner, First Vice President, State Firemen and Fire Marshals’ Association of Texas
The Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of Texas
Judge Ken Starr, President of Baylor University
The Honorable John Cornyn (R-TX), Senate Minority Whip for the 113th Congress
Since last Thursday, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Texas LODD Task Force have been on the ground in Texas offering help and support to the departments, families and friends through the Local Assistance State Team.

Because of the number of deaths, the Foundation expects to be there for a lengthy period of time -- providing peer counseling and support in many other ways. To help those efforts, the NFFF has established a national fund to accept monetary donations to help the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty.

All donated funds will be used to help the survivors and coworkers to rebuild their lives and support the programs and services they will need.

Checks can be mailed to:
NFFF c/o West, Texas Fire and EMS Fallen Hero Fund
P.O. Drawer 498
Emmitsburg, MD 21727

In addition, donations also can be made by credit card online:

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1229033

In light of the tragic event in West, Texas on Wednesday and in cooperation with local support efforts, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation has established a national fund to accept monetary donations to assist the survivors and coworkers of the fire and EMS personnel who died in the line of duty.

As a result of the blast, the station along with the apparatus, equipment and turn-out gear were destroyed or badly damaged. If you would like to donate these items, please send a message with your contact information to www.firehero.org/contact and the Foundation will share this with the West, Texas department.

(Donate button and more information at link)

Beyond the loss of lives, damage and losses to businesses and homes, there is also the loss of emergency vehicles and gear.
I've been told there were three fire engines and an ambulance lost in the explosion, along with  associated equipment.  These are heavy losses. 

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/obama-perry-cornyn-to-speak-at-memorial-for-west-v/nXXXf/
People lining up to attend West memorial
Updated: 11:01 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2013 | Posted: 8:21 a.m. Thursday, April 25, 2013

Update 11 a.m.: People have been lining up outside Baylor University’s Ferrell Center in Waco for a memorial for victims of last week’s explosion in the town of West.
A procession of uniformed firefighters is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. The service will begin at 2 p.m.
Austin police Chief Art Acevedo said a group of Austin police personnel will attend the service, and he posted a photo on Twitter of the group on Interstate 35.
The American-Statesman will have a live stream of the ceremony beginning at 2:15 p.m.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/news/Photos-Memorial-for-victims-of-West-explosion-204692911.html
Memorial for West explosion victims
April 25, 2013

WACO, Texas -- Thousands will gather Thursday for a memorial to honor victims killed in the West plant explosion.
The service will be held at 2 p.m. at Baylor University in Waco.
 ::snipping2::

KVUE.com will live stream the memorial. Check back for a link.


(http://i.imgur.com/2rzvKFd.jpg)

(http://i.imgur.com/FJasQNo.jpg)
Credit: Michael Moore, KVUE News
Inside the Ferrell Center at Baylor University for the West memorial.

(http://i.imgur.com/4vvetoQ.jpg)
Credit: Michael Moore, KVUE News

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/204466091.html
UPDATE: Long, Somber West Memorial Procession Begins
April 25, 2013

WACO (April 25, 2013)—A long, solemn procession of firefighters from around Central Texas, the state and the U.S. was moving slowly toward Baylor University’s Ferrell Center late Thursday morning, where a memorial service will be held Thursday afternoon for West’s fallen first responders.

Thousands of residents lined up early Thursday morning outside the Ferrell Center while the firefighters assembled for the procession honoring the first responders killed in the massive fertilizer plant explosion on April 17.

The first residents arrived at the Ferrell Center at around 4 a.m. Thursday and by mid-morning 1,000 to 2,000 people were lined up outside.

Fire apparatus from nearly 100 departments, meanwhile, was lined up about a half-mile away.
The memorial service begins at 2 p.m. Thursday.

At 11 a.m. the firefighters started the procession from a staging area on University Parks Drive south of LaSalle Avenue to the center.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, will attend and the president and Perry are scheduled to speak.

Other speakers include Baylor University President Ken Starr and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

After the families and all first responders are seated, the doors will open to the public on a first come, first served basis, Fogelman said.

The doors will close at 1:45 p.m. or when the Ferrell Center reaches capacity, she said.
 ::snipping2::
The service was organized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and Texas Line of Duty Death Task Force to remember the firefighters and first responders who died in last week’s tragic explosion in West.

Photos at Link

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/obama-perry-cornyn-to-speak-at-memorial-for-west-v/nXXXf/
People continue to make their way into West memorial
April 25, 2013


Update 12:45 p.m.: About half of Baylor University’s Ferrell Center is full as people make their way in for a memorial for victims of last week’s West Explosion.
The the floor section is reserved for family members, and other sections are being held for honor guard members, firefighters and other retired fire and police chiefs.
A line of 12 caskets is right in front of the stage, and in front of each casket is a photo of each victim on an easel, with a uniformed person standing in front.
An overhead screen behind the stage is showing a live feed of the people entering the center, including about two dozen Austin firefighters who just passed by.
Update 12:15 p.m.:Roy Martz, Albert Taylor and Daniel Underwood of the Bridgeport Volunteer Fire Department north of Fort Worth were among the thousands of people who have come to Waco to honor the victims of the West explosion, many of whom were firefighters.
“Pride, brotherhood and loyalty drove us to be here,” Martz said. “Firefighters are committed to one another in good times and in bad,”
A stream of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, all with their lights on, continues to make its way past Baylor’s Ferrell Center for Thursday’s memorial, including from Austin and Travis County.
A crowd that is lining nearby streets gave a large round of applause to Engine 5 from the West Fire Department as it passed.
Many others, including uniformed firefighters, are making their way into the arena.
Firefighters from nearby towns such as Whitney, Aquilla and Hillsboro are part of the line. Others have traveled from as far away as South Padre Island, Bryan and Bogota in the northeast part of the state.
The memorial, which will include speeches from President Barack Obama and Gov. Rick Perry, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
More...

Slide show with 43 images. (some available for purchase)

(http://i.imgur.com/fO0Erqf.jpg)
Jeremy Schwartz / American-Statesman
Austin firefighters join procession at West memorial.

(http://i.imgur.com/fDc1xR2.jpg)

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Thousands-of-firefighters-Obamas-in-Waco-for-West-explosion-memorial--204709291.html
Thousands of firefighters in Waco for West explosion memorial
Posted on April 25, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Updated today at 1:44 PM

(http://i.imgur.com/fiQIknL.jpg)
Credit: Teresa Woodard / WFAA
At the memorial for the victims of the West, Texas explosion in Waco, a firefighter salutes as a representative from Dallas Fire-Rescue carries a helmet to honor fallen colleague Kenny Harris, who died in the blast.

WACO –– Thousands of firefighters from as far away as Calgary, Canada are in Waco Thursday for the memorial for victims of last week's deadly explosion in the town of West.
"It's a brotherhood," said Capt. Dan Frederick of the Calgary Fire Department.
Twelve first responders were killed on April 17 when the West Fertilizer Co. plant exploded. The blast, which was strong enough to register as a 2.1 magnitude earthquake, left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep in its wake.
 ::snipping2::
Kenny "Lucky" Harris, a Dallas Fire Rescue captain who was volunteering to help battle the blaze in West, was buried on Wednesday.
On Thursday, a procession with thousands of firefighters and hundreds of engines and ambulances departed from West and arrived in Waco at about noon. Firefighters exited their vehicles and marched into the Ferrell Center at Baylor University, where a memorial will be held for the fallen.  Almost 250 different fire departments sent an apparatus to the procession.
That memorial begins at 2 p.m.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are on their way to the service after attending the dedication for the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University, the 43rd president's honorary library and museum.

I've been watching live stream at http://www.myfoxdfw.com/category/234333/live

Signal 5-5-5-5
 ::MonkeyAngel::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/obama-perry-cornyn-to-speak-at-memorial-for-west-v/nXXXf/
Obama: ‘You are not alone, you are not forgotten’
April 25, 2013

Update 4:30 p.m.: President Barack Obama offered the people of West and the families of the first-responders who died on April 17 “the love and support and prayers of the nation” during a speech at a memorial in Waco on Thursday.
The 12 included volunteer firefighters, students finishing an EMT training class and people from the town of West seeking to help.
“You are not alone, you are not forgotten,” Obama said in his speech. “We may not all live here in Texas, but we’re neighbors, too. We’re Americans, too, and we stand with you and we do not forget. And we’ll be there after the cameras leave.”
The memorial service at Baylor University’s Ferrell Center drew thousands of firefighters from across the state as well as hundreds of West residents and families of the fallen.
The coffins of the 12 men were placed in front of the stage and draped with American and Texas flags.
Throughout the service, videos played of family members and friends remembering the men.
“He loved his community and the people in the community and he would have done anything to help them,” said Carmen, the wife of Morris Bridges.
In his 20-minute speech Obama also spoke of the bombings in Boston and of the flooded areas of the Mississippi River.
“While the eyes of the world may have been fixed on places far way, our hearts have also been here,” he said. “Your country will remain ever ready to help you recover and rebuild and reclaim your community.”
Obama said that it was fair to say that most people outside of Texas had never heard of West before the explosion, “and I suspect that’s the way most people in West like it.”
But he also said Americans and many around the world have come to know of West.
“George and Laura Bush spoke lovingly of the kolaches and even better company as they drove through West,” said Obama, who had attended a dedication ceremony for the George W. Bush presidential library and museum on the Southern Methodist University in Dallas earlier.
Obama praised the strength and sacrifice of the men who died, but he also recalled the people who helped in the aftermath of the blast, including hospital staff, people who helped evacuate a nursing home near the blast site and others who came from miles around to help.
“Instead of changing who you are, this tragedy has simply revealed who you’ve always been,” Obama said. “All across America, people are praying for you and thinking of you. And when they see the faces of these families, they understand that these are not strangers, these are neighbors, and that’s why we know we will get through this.”

Update 3:20 p.m.: Speakers at a memorial service Thursday for 12 first-responders who died in an explosion in West last week spoke of the sacrifices the men made as well as their strength and that of the community they served.
“First-responders know better than anyone there’s no such thing as a routine emergency. The firefighters and medical technicians who died last week in West certainly knew that, but it didn’t slow them down,” Gov. Rick Perry told the crowd of several thousand people.
Perry said the common thread between the men who died was their love of community and sense of self and strength.
“Know that the spirit that drove those men that we love, they live on, and that spirit lives on in their fellow volunteers and the families and friends they left behind,” Perry said. “We will never forget what happened here nor forget the sacrifices of those that first responded.”
Chief Ernest Mitchell, the United States Fire Administrator, called out the names of all 12 men, who he said “made the ultimate sacrifice while keeping others safe.”
Mitchell addressed the people who attended the service, the family members of those who died and the firefighters and other first-responders who attended the service.
“As loved ones you understood and supported their dedication and desire to serve this community. As firefighters you continue to serve in their honor, and as a nation we are eternally grateful,” Mitchell said.
Bill Gardner, the first vice president of the State Firemen’s and Fire Marshals’ Association, talked about the many reasons people become first-responders, including a need to serve their communities or because a family member or neighbor was a firefighter or EMT.
“When you get in there’s a reason you stay,” Gardner said. “That reason to stay is you get to be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself, bigger than one man, and more importantly you get a chance to live your life to the fullest.”
President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak later in the ceremony.
On Thursday morning, Obama attended a dedication ceremony for the George W. Bush presidential library and museum on the Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Obama traveled to Waco by helicopter, a trip that included a flyover of West.
“The president’s helicopter passed over the site of the fertilizer plant, circling it a few times to view the flattened structures and scarred earth where the explosions occurred,” according to a statement from the White House.
Not many people were in the the Pizza House of West during the ceremony, but Manager Chum Hancock said the restaurant stayed open so people can have a place to eat.
Three employees and a diner gathered around a big screen and watched as the pictures and names of the firefighters were shown on a TV. One waitress audibly gasped as a photo was shown, recognizing him as a patron.
Hancock said a lot of the firefighters ate there regularly.
The restaurant has received numerous calls from people who order pizzas for “whoever needs them”, including a man from Kansas City who gave a dollar amount and said to make as many as they could for the West Fire Department, Hancock said.
A Dallas Fire station called and did the same, Hancock said. If the fire department doesn’t need all the pizzas sent, they are redirected to another place, she said.
More...

It appears the hate group (I won't name them & give them press) didn't show up today to picket/protest the firefighters funerals at the West Explosion Memorial  as they had threatened to.   

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/victims-of-the-west-fertilizer-plant-explosion/nXYLM/
Victims of the West fertilizer plant explosion
April 25, 2013

Waco — Victims of the April 17 West fertilizer plant explosion:

KEVIN WILLIAMS SANDERS: Teacher, Superman fan
Sanders, 33, was known for his love of all things related to Superman. He and his wife, Sarah, named their son Reeve after actor Christopher Reeve, who played the superhero. He taught veterinary technician training at McLennan Community College. Sanders was a volunteer firefighter with the Bruceville-Eddy Volunteer Fire Department and was taking an EMS class in West.

MORRIS BRIDGES JR.: Father, motorcyclist
Bridges, 41, had been with West’s volunteer fire department for three years. His wife says his last words as he left home were to his infant son, saying he loved him and would be “right back.” Bridges grew up in Dallas but lived in West. He loved to ride motorcycles and go fishing and camping.

WILLIAM “BUCK” UPTMOR: Fence-builder, musician, rodeo devotee
Uptmor, 45, owned a fence-building business, and his company built the local cemetery’s fence, said a friend. Uptmor was the drummer for Billy Uptmor and the Makers. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, coaching Little League and supporting his daughter in barrel racing. He trained and jockeyed racehorses and rode bulls and broncos.

JOEY PUSTEJOVSKY: A caring, devout man
Pustejovsky, 29, a volunteer firefighter, had been West town secretary since 2009 and worked as a personal property appraiser for McLennan County Appraisal District. He started the youth ministry at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of The Assumption and was the director for two years of the Catholic Brothers and Sisters United Youth Ministry.

PERRY CALVIN: Father, husband, firefighter
Calvin, 37, was a husband and father of two boys ages 9 and 2. He and his wife were expecting their third child. He was a volunteer firefighter at the Navarro Mills and Martens fire departments and was attending EMS classes in West. He was a self-employed farmer and loved the outdoors.

JIMMY MATUS: Fire truck-builder and operator
Matus, 52, was the sales manager at Westex Welding & Fire Apparatus, which builds fire trucks. He graduated from West High School in 1979. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption and served on the West school board and played Santa Claus for local organizations.

KENNETH HARRIS: Dallas fire fighter
Harris, 52, a Dallas fire department captain, was off duty but rushed to help. Harris graduated from the Dallas Fire Academy in 1982 and served as a firefighter with the Dallas Fire Department for more than 31 years. He loved offshore fishing with his sons and spending time on his boat, the “Boots Up.”

DOUGLAS SNOKHOUS: Firefighter, father, hunter
Snokhous, 50, a firefighter with the West Fire Department for more than 15 years, died along with his brother. Snokhous was a shop supervisor at Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, where he had worked for the past 29 years. He loved Westfest and the West Rodeo. He liked to fish and hunt deer and quail.

ROBERT SNOKHOUS: Firefighter, father
Snokhous, 48, died with his brother responding to an emergency in their community. He worked for almost 20 years at Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, where he was project manager. He loved hunting and the West Volunteer Fire Department outdoor cook-offs.

CODY DRAGOO: Firefighter, NASCAR fan, family man
Dragoo, 50, a member of the West Volunteer Fire Department, also worked at the fertilizer plant. Dragoo was born in Billings, Mont., and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in agriculture. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, cooking, watching NASCAR and being with his family and friends.

JUDITH ANN MONROE: Grandmother, puzzle solver
Monroe, 65, moved to West in 2001 from South Texas where she had lived most of her life. She enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. Monroe, 65, loved reading, solving word puzzles and playing board games.
The list continues....

I've been by this place so many times over the years. Besides having good kolaches & clean restrooms, they really are good people, imo.  I couldn't help but smile when President Obama mentioned it at the Memorial.

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Czech-Stop-helps-West-community-recover-from-plant-explosion-204939531.html
Czech Stop helps West community recover from plant explosion
April 26, 2013

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Federal-regulations-emergency-protocols-not-followed-in-West-204932411.html
Federal regulations, emergency protocols not followed in West
Posted April 26, 2013, Updated April 27, 2013


WEST, Texas  –– McLennan County officials did not follow federal regulations requiring public officials to plan for a major chemical incident such as last week's deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, a News 8 investigation has found.
The finding raises serious questions regarding the decision to send first responders into a potentially explosive situation.
As a community still grieves the 15 killed in the West Fertilizer Co. explosion, some are questioning the planning that, according to federal law, was required to have taken place under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act.
Each business is required to report its hazardous chemicals to its county. West Fertilizer Co. had, in fact reported its ammonium nitrate to McLennan County. Next, officials are required to set up what's called a Local Emergency Planning Committee.
The LEPC's job, is to "develop an emergency response plan, review it at least annually, and provide information about chemicals in the community to the citizens," the act reads.
"We usually meet once or twice a year," said Steve Howie, the Emergency Management Coordinator of Kaufman County.
Howie heads the Kaufman County LEPC and said he is familiar with the dangers of ammonium nitrate. A fertilizer storage company similar to the one in West is located near downtown Terrell. He says emergency responders in his community are well aware that a fire in the fertilizer storage building means one thing.
"If it's in the building housing 50,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate we are going to evacuate the area and back off," said Howie.
As of Dec. 31, 2012, there were 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate at the West Fertilizer Co., federal records show.
In July 2009, Bryan city and fire department officials ordered the evacuation of almost the entire town after a building full of ammonium nitrate caught fire.
The fire chief knew that putting water on the fire could make it worse "and in some cases it can intensify to the point of exploding."  
Richard Brown is a former Kaufman County volunteer fire chief. He says news of the fire responders’ death in West has sickened him.
"It should not have happened,” said Brown. “Those men should not have been where they were."
Brown says county and fire officials should have planned for the worst and any fire that involves ammonium nitrate should mean evacuation.

“They needed to inform their men of the hazards,” said Brown. “They needed to formulate a written response plan to those types of hazards."
The federally mandated body of community leaders designed to plan for such hazards did not exist in McLennan County. The official listed as the head of the McLennan County LEPC is County Judge Scott Felton. Felton, appointed to the post last year, told News 8 in an interview that he's never heard of the LEPC.
McLennan County Emergency Operations Coordinator Frank Patterson said he has no knowledge of an emergency planning committee or any meetings with officials in West about potential risks in the community.
After requesting any evidence of LEPC operations, meetings, plans of actions or plans for evacuations, especially with respect to hazards posed at the fertilizer company in West, Patterson's office said no such information exists.
 ::snipping2::
 The State Fire Marshal's Office on Friday released a statement saying no actions taken by the firefighters in any way contributed to the explosion.

Video at Link

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22094142/answering-the-call
Answering the Call: Ponder volunteer firefighters
April 27, 2013

Ponder, TX -
The West explosion devastated small town firefighter department volunteers across the state, who easily related to the victims and their families.

About 70 percent of firefighters in Texas aren't paid. Ponder, in Denton County, depends on its volunteer fire departments.

Eric Felderhoff is a Ponder volunteer firefighter, who makes a living as a construction engineer. His wife and one-year-old daughter are close to his heart when he thinks of the tragedy in West.

"Makes you have a much deeper appreciation for the things that we face," Felderhoff said, "but also makes you think when the pager goes off that you need to stop and tell your loved ones that you love them before you go."
 ::snipping2::
Many volunteers not only put their lives in danger to help others - they're also the reason these departments stay alive.

"I've seen volunteers pull money out of their pockets to put gas in trucks or diesel in trucks," Chief Charlie Williams, Ponder Volunteer Fire Department, said.

Grant money and other funding helps buy equipment and other essentials. Unfortunately, relying on state money is never a sure thing. Local fundraisers are how many volunteer fire departments keep going.

But the need is more clear than ever after the West fertilizer plant explosion. It's shown these local volunteer firefighters how high the stakes can be, as well as the importance of their sacrifice.

"It's tragic. It's a great tragedy," Aaron Watson, Ponder volunteer firefighter, said. "But through that it has shown just how big of a brotherhood this really is."

Video at the Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Ten-days-later-West-blast-victims-return-to-devastation-zone-204998111.html?gallery=y&img=1&c=y
Ten days later, West blast victims return to devastation zone
April 27, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/Gk732J8.jpg)
West explosion zones Credit: WFAA
This aerial map of West, Texas shows the location of the fertilizer plant that exploded (red circle), the homes that were destroyed (red dots) and the properties that were damaged (yellow dots).

WEST, Texas — Residents of the hardest-hit explosion zone in West, Texas were permitted to return to what's left of their homes on Saturday morning.
Residents started lining up at 7 a.m., but were only being allowed get their belongings. They must leave Zone 3 by 7 p.m.
Mayor Tommy Muska told News 8 that residents of Zone 3 must register at the library before they can gain access. We're being told those residents were being escorted into the zone.
More...

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/Lawsuits-from-fertilizer-plant-blast-now-total-6-205011931.html
Lawsuits from fertilizer plant blast now total 6
April 27, 2013

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/utility-crews-in-west-making-progress-assessing-infrastructure-damage/article_a0c95e4c-861b-512b-895e-3179fd4873ee.html
Utility crews in West making progress assessing infrastructure damage
Posted April 26, 2013, Updated April 27, 2013

http://tasteofcountry.com/texas-thunder-festival-west-texas-explosion-benefit/
Texas Thunder Festival to Raise Funds for Victims of West, Texas Explosion
April 27, 2013

The Texas Thunder Festival, featuring The Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen, Casey Donahew Band, Josh Abbott Band and Stoney LaRue, makes its debut in 2013. It is also part of an effort to raise funds to benefit the schools, first responders and victims of the explosion that took place at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas 10 days ago on April 17.

The event, which is modeled after the annual Country Thunder shows, takes place on May 17 through May 19 in Gardendale, Texas.
 ::snipping2::
Weekend passes are discounted at $65, with camping options starting at $110. Go here for more details and other pertinent information.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22095377/people-living-closest-to-blast-site-may-finally-return-home
People living closest to West blast site return home
April 27, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/hsY71Xx.jpg)

West, Texas -
For the first time since the fertilizer plant blast in West last week, people living in the area closest to the explosion site surveyed what's left of their homes.

The area is called "Zone 3."

It is believed half of the homes in the area have been destroyed.

FOX4 is told of the 160 homes in that area, only three are safe enough to walk in. Seventy homes are beyond repair and will have to be torn down.
 ::snipping2::
Most people took what was left of their homes including furniture and appliances.

Given the amount of destruction, they were escorted into the secured area by authorities.

Water service has been restored in the first two zones, though it still needs to be boiled.

Authorities will soon attempt to restore service to residents of zone 3 - who also must comply with a 7a-7p curfew. Residents are advised to use masks so they don't breathe any dust from the plant site.

Video at Link

http://www.statesman.com/news/entertainment/music/willie-nelson-still-rockin-at-80/nXXjh/
Willie Nelson, still rockin’ at 80
April 28, 2013

 ::snipping2::

“I have a show on the 28th at the Backyard, with me and Paula, Luke and Micah and all the kids, that will be fun, I’m looking forward to that. That’ll probably be our family get-together on that day.”
Willie Nelson

What: Show with Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real, Paula Nelson Band and Folk Uke, benefiting the volunteer fire department of West. Cash and gift cards will be collected.
When: Doors at 5 p.m., show at 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: The Backyard, 13801 Bee Cave Parkway, Bee Cave
Cost: $42.50
Information: thebackyard.net
The concert will air live on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse channel beginning at 8 p.m. It’ll also be rebroadcast Tuesday — the day Nelson turns 80 — at 7 p.m.

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22097629/west-first-benefit-concert-to-raise-money-for-west-tx
West First Benefit Concert to raise money for West, TX
April 27, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/2nqLUqb.jpg)


WACO, Texas (AP) -
A 2-day benefit concert is being held for West explosion victims.

The West First Benefit Concert runs from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday.

Then, it's back on Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.

It's located at the The Melody Ranch, 2315 Robinson Drive, Waco, TX 76706.

The event features more than 30 Central Texas bands on two stages, a silent auction, a bake sale, a barbecue plate, and a place for dry goods donations.

Admission is $10 per day, $1 for children ages 9 and younger.

A West First Benefit Fund has been established at Educators Credit Union with proceeds going to that fund, whose recipients have not yet been designated. Those wishing to donate items for the auction can call Jennifer Jung at 254-723-2936
More...
Music Schedule for the 2 day event at link.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/service-planned-for-2-texas-firefighter-brothers/nXbC2/
Service planned for 2 Texas firefighter brothers
April 29, 2013

 ::snipping2::
A service will be held Monday in West for 50-year-old Douglas Snokhous and 48-year-old Robert Snokhous. Both were captains with the West Volunteer Fire Department. The siblings were killed in the April 17 blast that damaged much of the town located about 70 miles south of Fort Worth.
Family and friends will gather at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption at 11 a.m. Monday for the service. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in West.
Officials say 12 emergency responders were killed in the fiery explosion also blamed for two additional deaths. Services are planned later this week for several other victims.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Nelson-show-to-benefit-decimated-fire-department-205135391.html
Willie Nelson show benefits West firefighters
April 28, 2013, Updated April 29, 2013

BEE CAVE, Texas -- Country star Willie Nelson took the stage Sunday night to help raise money for the devastated town of West.
Nelson performed to a sold out crowd of more than 6,000 people at The Backyard at Bee Cave. His performance followed a show by his sons and daughters and was part of a planned family celebration for his 80th birthday.
But after the fatal explosion in West, he decided to turn his birthday bash into a benefit for the West Volunteer Fire Department.
More than 150 buildings and homes were destroyed in the fertlizer plant explosion on April 17. Hundreds were injured and 12 of the 15 killed were first responders.
The red-headed stranger grew up in nearby Abbot and says West was his backyard, and his heart is praying for the community he calls home.
University of Texas head football coach Mack Brown presented Willie with a proclamation from the governor and a birthday wish.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/291694/willie-nelson-s-80th-birthday-bash-benefits-west-victims
Willie Nelson’s 80th birthday bash benefits West victims
April 29, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/Doj18Fo.jpg)

Texas music legend Willie Nelson celebrated his 80th birthday at The Backyard Sunday, but this year's party also served as a benefit to the victims of the this month's explosion in West.
A massive blast at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas on April 17 killed 15 and wounded hundreds more, devastating much of the town. Nelson is from the neighboring town of Abbott, about a 10-minute drive from West.
 ::snipping2::
If you'd like to donate to the victims of the West disaster, you can still donate online at PointWestBank.com.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Service-Held-For-Firefighting-Brothers-Who-Died-Together-In-West-Explosion-205268131.html
Service Held For Firefighting Brothers Who Died Together In West Explosion
April 29, 2013

WEST (April 29, 2013)—A joint funeral service was held Monday for brothers Robert and Doug Snokhouse, who were among the volunteer firefighters killed in the April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer co.

A burial Mass was celebrated Monday morning at the Church of the Assumption in West.

Burial followed at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

"We are comforted they were together at the end," the Snokhous family said in a statement.
 ::snipping2::


http://www.aderholdfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/aderho0/obit.cgi?user=975460Snokhous

(http://i.imgur.com/0LkLJlg.jpg)

Douglas Snokhous
    January 1, 1963  -  April 17, 2013
Life Legacy

West Volunteer Fire Department Captain Douglas James Snokhous, age 50, of West, passed away Wednesday, April 17, 2013, while providing the ultimate sacrifice to the Community of West.

Joint Mass of Christian Burial for Douglas and his brother, Robert will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, April 29, 2013, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, with Father Ed Karasek officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in West. A rosary and visitation will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Assumption in West. The Snokhous brothers will lie in state beginning 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 26, at Aderhold Funeral Home.

Doug was born January 1, 1963 in Hillsboro, Texas, the son of Jimmy Rudolph and Louise Marie (Jares) Snokhous. Doug spent his entire life living in the town of West and attended St. Mary’s Catholic School, was part of the West Boy Scouts and spent most of childhood with his Dad and Uncles at the West Volunteer Fire Department. He played baseball and football for the West Trojans and in 1981, he graduated from West High School. After high school he began his life-long career at Central Texas Iron Works, this June Doug would have been at the company for 32 years.
 ::snipping2::
Survivors include his wife of 13 years, Donna Beseda Snokhous of West; two daughters Lauren and Laken Snokhous, of West and grandson Hogan James; stepsons Steven Beseda and wife Maggie, of Eva Beach, Hawaii, and Paul Beseda and wife Amy, of West; stepdaughter DeAnna Reaves and husband Brandon, of Azle; and three step-grandchildren. Sister, Karen Hoelscher, her husband Keith of West, brother Barry Snokhous and wife Sayoko, of Okinawa, Japan, sister-in-law Alison Snokhous of West; along with nieces, nephews and a great-niece and nephew.
Read full obituary at above link.  (Video of brothers)


http://www.aderholdfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/aderho0/obit.cgi?user=975429Snokhous

(http://i.imgur.com/Ja0VkTQ.jpg)
Robert Snokhous
    June 4, 1964  -  April 17, 2013

West Volunteer Fire Department Captain Robert “Bob” Snokhous, age 48, of West, passed away on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, while providing the ultimate sacrifice to the Community of West.

A Rosary and visitation will be held at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, April 28, 2013 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, followed by visitation. Joint Mass of Christian Burial for Bob and his brother, Douglas will be celebrated 11:00 a.m. Monday, April 29, 2013 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, with Rev. Ed Karasek will be officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. The Snokhous brothers will lie in state beginning 11:00 a.m. Friday, April 26, 2013, at Aderhold Funeral Home.

Robert was born on June 4, 1964 in Hillsboro, the son of Jimmy Rudolph and Louise Marie (Jares) Snokhous. He graduated from West High School in 1982 and received an Associate Degree from Texas State Technical College in Waco. He was a Project Manager for Central Texas Iron Works in Waco and was on their emergency response team. Robert had been a volunteer for the West Fire Department, where he had a passion for putting out fires, was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption, a member of the Knights of Columbus West Council #2305. He loved hunting and outdoor BBQ’s.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Doug Snokhous.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 14 years, Alison (Patke) Snokhous whom he married on April 15, 1999; son, Robert “Bubba” Snokhous Jr. of Cape Coral, Florida; daughters, Margee Snokhous of Cape Coral, Florida, and McKenzie Ryan of West; brother, Barry Snokhous and wife Sayoko of Okinawa, Japan; sister, Karen Hoelscher and husband, Keith of Ross, Texas; sister-in-law, Donna Snokhous of West; two grandchildren, Kadence and Kameron Snokhous of Cape Coral; and several nieces, nephews, great niece, great nephew, other relatives and many friends.
Read full obituary at above link.  (Video of brothers)

http://www.kwtx.com/ourtown/home/headlines/West-Texas-Steakhouse-Presents-More-than-35000-For-Explosion-Victims-Families-205265711.html
West: Texas Steakhouse Collects More than $35,000 For Explosion Victims’ Families
April 29, 2013

WEST (April 29, 2013)--Texas Land & Cattle restaurants will present a $36,000 check for West explosion victims’ families on Monday.

The company, which operates steakhouse restaurants across the state including in Killeen, will present the check at 3 p.m. to the 100 Club of Central Texas in Austin.

The 100 Club of Central Texas is a volunteer, nonprofit organization comprised of members committed to providing financial assistance and other support to first responders, especially to the families of first responders who are killed or critically injured in the line of duty.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Service-Held-For-Firefighting-Brothers-Who-Died-Together-In-West-Explosion-205268131.html
West Bids Farewell To Longtime Resident Who Died In Fertilizer Plant Explosion
April 30, 2013

WEST (April 30, 2013)—Another funeral procession passed through West Tuesday as family and friends bid farewell to longtime resident Jimmy Ray Matus, 52, who died in the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion while helping first responders.

Matus was named an honorary firefighter in recognition of his sacrifice.

A burial Mass was held Tuesday at the Church of the Assumption in West and burial followed at St Mary's Cemetery.

Matus was born in Waco, attended St. Mary’s School and graduated from West High School in 1979.

He also attended McLennan Community College in Waco.

He worked for his family’s business, Westex Welding & Fire Apparatus, for four decades.
 ::snipping2::


http://www.aderholdfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/aderho0/obit.cgi?user=975517Matus

(http://i.imgur.com/zTDry7X.jpg)
Jimmy Matus
    November 9, 1960  -  April 17, 2013

Life Legacy

Jimmy Ray Matus, age 52, of West, passed away Wednesday, April 17, 2013 in West, while providing the ultimate sacrifice to the community of West.

A Rosary will be recited at 6:00 p.m. Monday, April 29, 2013, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption in West by Janice Kaluza. Visitation will follow until 8:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 am Tuesday April 30, 2013 at St. Mary’s Church in West with Rev. Ed Karasek officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Jimmy will lie in state beginning 11:00 a.m. Sunday, April 28, 2013 at Aderhold Funeral Home.

Jimmy was born November 9, 1960 in Waco to Raymond Rudolf and Lillian Frances (Soukup) Matus. He attended St. Mary’s School, was a 1979 graduate of West High School, and also attended MCC. He grew up spending summers at his Uncle Raymond and Aunt Rosie Knapeks’ house, where he developed his love of all things farm related.

Jimmy started working at his family business, Westex Welding & Fire Apparatus, at a very young age. He continued to work there for the next forty years, the last twenty managing all aspects of the business.

On May 11, 2002, he married Gail Bradburry. She preceded him in death on December 3, 2011.

He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church of the Assumption, SPJST Lodge 54, Sokol West, where he served as past president, the State Fireman’s Association, and was an honorary member of the Masonic Lodge in West. Jimmy also served on the West ISD school board and played the role of Santa Claus for many organizations including Sokol and the City of West.

Jimmy loved to buy and sell equipment, attend fire shows, and especially spending time with his children and grandchildren. He also loved all his pets and farm animals. Jimmy was a very generous and giving person. It wasn’t uncommon for him to buy something at a benefit auction only to turn around and donate it to the next benefit.

Survivors include his parents, Raymond and Lillian Matus of West; son, Dustin Matus and fiancé, Becca Wright, of West; daughter, Jennifer Kalina and fiancé, Brian Walker, of Lorena; two step-daughters, Heather Roberson and Derek Barnes, of Bosqueville and Karry Dornak and husband, Jeff, of Spring; two sisters, Kathy Matus and Cindy Matus both of West; brother, Thomas Matus and wife, Ruth Ann, of Chalk Bluff; five grandchildren, Alana, Hailey, Hanna, Ava, and Aaden; three nieces, Whitney Dudik and husband, Martin, Emily Matus, and Taylor Matus; great-nieces, Lillie and Audrey; in-laws, Ivan and Florence Bradburry of Elm Mott; brother-in-law, Curtis Bradburry and partner, Bruce Harrison, of China Spring; two sisters-in-law, Cathy Bradburry and Sherry Matus and husband, Ben, all of West; the mother of his children, Edwina Powell, and many other relatives and friends.
More...

Mr.Lander's funeral service was April 21, 2013.  Interment was at Gerald Cemetery.


http://marshallandmarshallfd.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=973671

(http://i.imgur.com/dqn6kGu.jpg)

Adolph H. Lander
January 27, 1917 - April 18, 2013

BIOGRAPHY
Adolph H. Lander, 96, of Malone passed away Thursday morning, April 18, 2013 in West. Services will be at 2:00 PM Sunday, April 21, 2013 at Marshall & Marshall Funeral Directors Chapel in Hillsboro with Rev. Allen Johannes officiating. Burial will follow at Gerald Cemetery in Gerald. Visitation will be 6:00-8:00PM Saturday at the funeral home.

Adolph was born January 27, 1917 in Coryell County, Texas to Frank and Elnora (Freyer) Lander. He served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII. On August 14, 1940, he married Elna Louise Reinke and she preceded him in death on October 31, 1966. He later married Mary Carroll on August 8, 1986 and she preceded him in death on August 11, 2010. Adolph was an avid gardener and a great carpenter and enjoyed building bird houses. He also enjoyed dancing and playing dominoes, especially “42". Adolph was well known for making the best dill pickles around and enjoyed canning what he grew and sharing with family, friends and neighbors.

He was also preceded in death by his parents, two sons, Kenneth Paul Lander and Kermit Wayne Lander, and daughter, Doris Lanell Pond. Adolph was a farmer and a member of St. Peters Lutheran Church in Malone.
 ::snipping2::
Memorials may be made to the Knights of Columbus, West, Texas Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/misc/203995101.html
Memorial And Funeral Services

A community memorial service was held for the fallen first responders on April 25 at Baylor University’s Ferrell Center attended by more than 9,000 family members, friends, residents and firefighters from around the U.S. President Barack Obama was among those who paid tribute to the victims of the deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion.
More...

Slideshow at link.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/West-fertilizer-plant-explosion-takes-center-stage-at-texas-state-Capitol
West explosion takes center stage at state Capitol
Focus of special hearing at Texas Legislature
May 1, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/pQAD5i0.jpg)
The aerial photos taken the day after the blast shows the remains of a nursing home, apartment complex, center, and fertilizer plant, right, destroyed by an explosion in West. (AP Photo/Tony Guiterrez)


 ::snipping2::
State lawmakers on Wednesday are expected to press investigators and regulators for answers about the blast and the risks at similar facilities in Texas. Fourteen people were killed and 200 were injured when the plant exploded two weeks ago in rural farming town of West.

The state fire marshal is leading the investigation. That office is scheduled to testify to the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee along with officials from seven other agencies.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/First-state-hearing-into-West-plant-explosion-begins-today-205574681.html
Fire marshal: West investigation to be completed by May 10
April 1, 2013

AUSTIN -- State lawmakers have began their inquiry into the explosion of the West Fertilizer Plant in a special hearing Wednesday morning. The investigation into what exactly caused the explosion will take another week.
The Texas Homeland Security and Public Safety Commission called on top officials from several state agencies to testify.
The state fire marshal told them that the on-site investigation into what caused the explosion will be completed on May 10. But he did add that anhydrous ammonia tanks were not the cause of the explosion, neither was a rail car that was close to the plant.
"We are at almost 300 interviews and that has come off of about 160 leads so there is a lot of information that we are looking to gather," Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kishner said. "Despite previous reports the anhydrous ammonia tanks never exploded, they were not compromised."
"I think this is an opportunity for us to understand how this all works, not to point any blame," said Committee Chairman Joseph Pickett.
 ::snipping2::
Right now about 80 investigators from 28 agencies are on the ground, combing the entire 14.9-acre blast site. The fire marshal says they are close to making a determination of the cause, and they've narrowed it down to accidental, criminal or under minded.
The plan reported its on-premise chemicals to the appropriate departments, but there was concern about ammonium nitrate that may have been on the property. That chemical is highly explosive.
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/New-questions-surround-McLennan-Co-Emergency-Plan-Committee--205480441.html
New questions surround McLennan County emergency planning
April 30, 2013

This is so sad, it didn't have to happen.  Why on earth would they ever allow a plant like this near homes.  Or should I say why would they allow homes and businesses to be built near?

Why no oversight of this facility?  Sometimes REGULATIONS are necessary. 

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/WEST-HEARING-As-investigation-nears-close-lawmakers-question-oversight-205680581.html
WEST HEARING: Lawmakers question oversight, agency roles
May 1, 2013

AUSTIN -- Convening the first legislative hearing in response to the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Company, House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee Chairman Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) outlined a list of objectives.
 
"The intent of this hearing is to try to shed light on where these facilities are located, what kind of chemicals we're talking about," Pickett told witnesses inside a packed meeting room Wednesday morning inside the Texas Capitol Extension.
 
Officials from a half dozen state agencies offered testimony concerning their various regulatory responsibilities. Officials from the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) testified thousands of facilities across the state store potentially hazardous materials, including 41 facilities similar to the one in West that are involved in the mixing or storage of ammonium nitrate fertilizer.
 
According to DSHS officials, the West facility contained about 270 tons of ammonium nitrate. Despite its explosive potential when mixed with heat and fuel, ammonium nitrate is not on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) list of "extremely hazardous substances." Those who possess more than 10,000 pounds must file paperwork with the EPA and DSHS, but the information concerning which facilities in a given community may be storing large amounts of potentially dangerous chemicals isn't readily available to the average citizen.
 
At the state level, the job of inspecting fertilizer factories and retailers is the job of the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service headed by Texas State Chemist Tim Herrman. Testifying before the committee, Herrman said the focus of inspections is on ensuring product quality and securing it from theft, not ensuring safety or addressing potential fire risks.
 
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd told lawmakers addressing safety concerns is the task of local emergency planning committees, of which there are roughly 270 across the state. Bryan Shaw, Chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), told KVUE the issue of inspections is tricky.

 ::snipping2::
Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner says 80 investigators are busy reconstructing events inside the 14.9 acre blast zone. Workers from dozens of local, state and federal agencies have spent some 12,000 personnel hours, conducted nearly 300 interviews and pursued more than 160 leads since the investigation began. The task has gone through roughly half of the $1 million in federal funds budgeted for the investigation into the fire and explosion.
 
Meanwhile the investigation into the cause has eliminated a few possible causes. Kistner says tanks of anhydrous ammonia, a chemical used in the production of ammonium nitrate, were found unharmed. Natural causes, such as a lightning strike, have also been ruled out, and officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) believe terrorism is unlikely as well. That said, Kistner warns the cause isn't necessarily an accident.
 
"We are still operating under a state criminal search warrant, and that needs to be known," said Kistner. "We will not know whether this was a criminal act until this investigation is complete." 
 
The results of the investigation are expected by May 10th. Meanwhile, groups outside the Texas Capitol immediately called upon legislators to increase state oversight when it comes to facilities like the one in West following Wednesday's hearing.
 
"Texas would benefit from state inspections of industry to supplement federal inspections that are completely insufficient," Texas AFL-CIO President Becky Moeller wrote in a statement Wednesday. "At current funding levels, it would take the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration 126 years to inspect every workplace in Texas on a routine basis. But a state OSHA could focus attention on facilities in high-risk industries. We would suggest there is no question that the storage of tons of fertilizer is high-risk.”
 
Emphasizing the hearing's goal was to learn from the disaster and not to assign blame, Pickett struck back at Texas' national critics while meeting with reporters after the hearing.
 
"I do take offense to people outside of the state picking on Texas because we had the first tragedy," said Pickett. "Well maybe we helped prevent yours. I think we're in good shape."
 
It's the first of many more hearings to come.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Top-emergency-official-says-he-never-warned-West-of-potential-threat-205952571.html
Top emergency official says he never warned West of potential threat
May 3, 2013
WEST, Texas -- The top emergency management official in McLennan County made a series of sobering admissions Thursday.

Among other things, McLennan County Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Patterson said he was not aware of the explosive levels of chemicals being stored at the West Fertilizer Company. He also said he never met with West city officials about a potential disaster at the fertilizer facility.

What started out as a news conference designed to discredit a series of News 8 investigative reports, quickly went south for Patterson. Before it was over, he would admit his office was not prepared for the worst in West.

Our investigation raised questions about McLennan County's planning for a chemical disaster, especially given the potentially-explosive amounts of ammonium nitrate located at the fertilizer warehouse in West. The key question being asked by News 8 for more than one week: Did the County organize a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), as mandated by federal law?

Every county is required to have one in order to develop emergency response plans, review those plans annually, and provide information about dangerous chemicals to citizens.

At the beginning of Thursday's press gathering at the McLennan County Courthouse, Patterson set out to attack the News 8 investigation.

"Let me make this clear," Patterson said. "McLennan County has an LEPC that actively works with local industry and the first-response community."

He went on the declare, with respect to the emergency response in West, "the plan worked." Patterson told reporters his LEPC meets every year, and is active and thorough in its planning.

But over the past week, News 8 has repeatedly asked for evidence of the McLennan County LEPC's existence and has been shown nothing.
 ::snipping2::
Ultimately, Patterson admitted that he did not act on the information supplied to him by the facility in West or warn the community of a potential threat.

"There's no doubt this is not a perfect system," Patterson said.

Patterson left the news conference without showing reporters any evidence that McLennan County's LEPC exists, despite cradling a folder stacked with documents that he repeatedly referred to as important LEPC documents. Again, we repeatedly asked that he show us what information he was possessing.
Video at Link

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22151015/federal-disaster-loans-available-after-west-blast
Federal disaster loans available after West blast
May 3, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) - Federal low-interest loans are available for people in several Central Texas counties affected by the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion.

The Small Business Administration funds are for residents of McLennan County, plus neighboring Bell, Bosque (BAHS'-kee), Coryell, Falls, Hill and Limestone counties.  ::snipping2::
Disaster loans up to $200,000 are available to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace personal property.

Businesses may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other assets.

 

Online:

http://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/

http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Damage-In-Area-Closest-To-West-Explosion-Site-Is-Staggering-205799821.html
West Explosion Site Still A Crime Scene; Nothing Ruled Out, Investigators Say
May 2, 2013

WEST (May 2, 2013)—More than 70 state and federal investigators are conducting a painstaking excavation of the 15-acre site of the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion as they work their way toward the crater left by the last, officials said Thursday.

The site remains a crime scene and nothing has been ruled out officials said, as they opened the site Thursday to pool journalists who in turn provided images and information to other reporters.

“This is in no way been considered an accidental incident,” said Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner.

“This is still being worked under a criminal warrant issued by the state courts, and until we have an answer, it will be considered a crime scene,” he said.
 ::snipping2::
Officials said earlier that 70 of the homes in the area north of Spring Street are unsafe to live in, although residents were allowed to enter to retrieve personal items, but 84 more are so badly damaged that residents wouldn’t even be allowed to do that.
In all, there are about 350 homes in the 37-block area of West affected by the massive fertilizer plant explosion.

Residents of the blast-affected area from Oak Street north to Spring Street have been allowed to return to their homes.

The Insurance Council of Texas, an insurance industry trade group, says losses from the deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West will likely exceed $100 million.

The explosion at West Fertilizer Co. left a crater 90 feet wide and totaled nearby homes and buildings, leaving 15 dead and about 200 injured.

It destroyed a two-story apartment building, and heavily damaged a nursing home and three of West’s four schools.
 ::snipping2::

In article, clickable: 
(West: Information For Residents, Numbers To Call, Ways To Help)
(West: More Headlines And Information)
(City Of West Website)
(Funerals And Memorial Services)


Inset in article, same link as article:
The West City Council Thursday designated a fund coordinated by three Waco-based charitable foundations as the recommended recipient for donations to relief efforts in the aftermath of the deadly April 17 explosion.

The West, Texas Disaster Relief Efforts Fund was established by the Cooper, Rapoport and Waco Foundations. To date the fund has received about $300,000.

Donations may be made in cash, by check or credit card or in publicly traded securities. Checks should be payable to Waco Foundation for the benefit of the West, Texas Disaster Relief Efforts Fund. Contributions may be designated for general assistance, firefighter relief or for victims directly affected by the explosion.

The Waco Foundation will cover all administrative costs.

For information on how to donate, go to http://www.wacofoundation.org and click on the West relief link on the homepage or call Melissa Miller at (254) 754-3404.

Also Thursday, McLennan County Emergency Coordinator Frank Patterson dismissed a report by a Dallas TV station that said the county does not have a Local Emergency Planning Committee or LEPC in place as required by federal law.

Patterson said the county's LEPC meets at least once a year, last met in February, has a thousand-page response plan and conducts at least three drills annually to test it.

Patterson said he couldn’t name the members of the committee, but said he had a list in his office.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/205908801.html
As West ISD Plans Recovery Effort, Teachers Brace For The Long Haul
May 2, 2013

 ::snipping2::
Since the West explosion, West ISD has lost three of its four campuses, students are displaced, and classrooms are bare.

Many teachers' homes are either damaged or destroyed.
More...

Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/west-fertilizer-plant-targeted-by-thieves-in-past
West Fertilizer plant targeted by thieves in past
Deputies called more than 10 times in 11 years
May 3, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) — Burglars occasionally sneaked into and around a Texas fertilizer plant in the years before a massive, deadly explosion — sometimes looking for a chemical fertilizer stored at the plant that can be used to make methamphetamine, according to local sheriff's records.

Sheriff's deputies were called more than 10 times to West Fertilizer in the 11 years before an April 17 blast that killed 14 people, injured 200 and leveled part of the tiny town of West, according to McLennan County sheriff's office files released through an open-records request. Multiple calls involved suspicion that anhydrous ammonia was being stolen.

The records portray a plant with no outer fence that was a sporadic target of intruders. Law enforcement was occasionally called because someone had noticed the smell of gas outside or signs of an intruder.

Anhydrous ammonia is a fertilizer that is a frequent target of burglars trying to manufacture methamphetamine. In the right conditions it can be flammable or explosive, though that is nearly impossible outdoors. However, a leak of the gas could create a potentially fatal toxic chemical cloud. The plant also had an unspecified amount of ammonium nitrate, a chemical that has been used in explosives, like in the Oklahoma City bombing.

A spokeswoman for the Texas State Fire Marshal's office, which is investigating the explosion, said the anhydrous ammonia tanks stored at West Fertilizer at the time of the blast appeared to have no scorch marks or any sign that they were part of a blast that left a crater more than 90 feet wide.

Officials have not ruled out the role of an intruder or other criminal activity being involved.  ::snipping2::
Matt Cawthon, the chief deputy sheriff in McLennan County, said in an interview Friday that anhydrous ammonia theft calls had declined in recent years, as had the number of meth labs authorities have busted as Mexican drug cartels are smuggling in more of the drug.

"The thefts ... and the reports for law enforcement assistance in that area, in my estimation, were minor and were petty," Cawthon said.

There were no reports that ammonium nitrate had been stolen from the plant, Cawthon said.

"If ammonium nitrate had been stolen ... then that report would have generated probably a lot of attention," he said.

Federal regulation of ammonium nitrate is largely focused on the safe storage of the chemical, for fear it will fall into the hands of criminals or terrorists. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is responsible for oversight of the potentially explosive substance.

At the West facility, criminals appeared to be interested in the ammonia.

A West police officer in 2002 pulled over someone driving through West Fertilizer with his vehicle's headlights off, according to a sheriff's crime report. The police officer reported that "there have been numerous thefts of anhydrous ammonia" from the plant, the report says. But that driver was found to have taken a hydraulic hay spear.

That same year, a plant employee told authorities that someone was stealing 4 to 5 gallons of anhydrous ammonia about every three days, according to another report. Sheriff's office records released Friday did not indicate that authorities were being called that often.

In more recent calls, an employee had noticed signs that someone had gone through the office without taking anything. In one 2009 record, someone reported that the TV in the office was left on a Spanish-language channel. The year before, an intruder appeared to have viewed pornography on a secretary's computer.

In another 2009 record, Cody Dragoo — a plant employee and first responder who died fighting the fire — called authorities to report two men who were seen on the plant's security tape entering part of the facility. The only things found missing were a cabinet lock and a box of Oreo cookies, according to a report. It's unclear if the men were identified or arrested.
 ::snipping2::

West Fertilizer did not have a fence or security guards, and just one security camera was installed, Cawthon said. Besides the costs of adding security, the plant was often visited after hours by farmers needing fertilizer.

"If the owner was to spend that money to make this a fortress, it would decrease his business because the farmers can't come and go," Cawthon said.

Daniel Keeney, a spokesman for Adair Grain, which owned and operated the plant, declined to answer questions about plant security to avoid "misunderstandings or confusions."

Last month's explosion occurred during the spring planting season, when the plant was especially busy, officials in the investigation have said. Two months before the explosion, plant officials reported they could store as much as 270 tons of ammonium nitrate.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Some-West-residents-unaware-of-feritilizer-plants-potential-danger-206032811.html
Some West residents unaware of feritilizer facility's potential danger
May 3, 2013

WEST, Texas -- After the fertilizer chemical facility explosion, Willie Zahirniak said the response from West officials and McLennan County has been tremendous.

"Everyone has really pitched in," he said.

But it is what happened in the days and weeks before the blast at the plant that have him concerned.

"I've never knew what was stored there, and I've lived here all my life," Zahirniak said. "Let's put it like that."

News 8 is raising more questions about just who was responsible for warning town residents about the potential hazards of living so close to a plant that stored high-powered chemicals, like ammonium nitrate.
 ::snipping2::
Earlier in the week, the area's state representative, Republican Kyle Kacal, said he believed people living in West were aware of the danger.

"Rural Texas and the agriculture folks understand the volatility of that plant, yes they do," he said.

But News 8 found other residents, just like Zahirniak, that weren't told about just how severe an explosion really could be.

"It wasn't something anyone discussed or worried about," said Mike Sulak, who also lost a family home because of the blast. "Never entered anyone's mind."
 ::snipping2::
A series of News 8 Investigations have also been looking into whether the county was properly running a Local Emergency Planning Committee, or LEPC. That is mandated by federal law.
Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/west-plant-carries-limited-insurance
West plant carries limited insurance
Lawyers suing plant were told of policy
May 4, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/YeR3Xxa.jpg)

DALLAS (AP) - A lawyer says that the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded last month, killing 14 people, injuring more than 200 others and damaging or destroying property for blocks in every direction was only insured for up to $1 million in liability.

Tyler lawyer Rancy C. Roberts said Saturday that he and other attorneys who have filed lawsuits against West Fertilizer's owners were told Thursday about the size of its policy.

An insurance industry group estimates that it may have caused up to $100 million in damage.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Fertilizer-Plant-Explosion-Leaves-Farmers-In-The-Lurch-206039911.html
Fertilizer Plant Explosion Leaves Farmers In The Lurch
May 3, 2013

WEST (May 3, 2013)--The deadly April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15, injured about 200 and damaged or destroyed scores of homes and buildings, also destroyed tons of fertilizer that area farmers were counting on to make their crops this summer.

Now producers in McLennan County and several surrounding counties have to look to other suppliers to provide the products they need to ensure both a bountiful harvest and their own livelihoods.

"There's a void there, a big void," said Norman Divin, at Crop Production Services, in Hillsboro, a national company with several outlets in Texas.

"Believe me, it’s going to be hard to fill," Divin said.
 ::snipping3::
West Fertilizer was the area's major purveyor of agricultural products such as anhydrous ammonia and dry nitrogen fertilizers.

Testimony offered Tuesday at a Texas House of Representatives hearing into the disaster indicated at the time of the deadly fire and explosion, West Fertilizer had more than 230 tons of fertilizer in storage.

Although the cause of the devastating fire and explosion on April 17 has yet to be determined, the blast destroyed several tons of fertilizer that farmers were counting on to boost their crops this spring and summer.

Divin said his company already has seen several producers who are looking for fertilizer of one type or another and he's trying to serve them.

But CPS in Hillsboro is not a "dry barn," he said.

A report filed with the state agency that tracks stores of dry fertilizer such as ammonium nitrate indicates there were 44 businesses in Texas that reported having more than 10,000 pounds of the chemical in their storage barns.

That means his company does not handle large amounts of dry nitrogen fertilizer like West Fertilizer did.

Those farmers and ranchers who are looking for dry fertilizer products will have to find other sources of those products and the farther the growers have to travel to get the products they need, the higher the cost of production.

Right now farmers and ranchers are fertilizing pastures and fields of hay, Divin said, but the need for fertilizer is a year-round need.
More...

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Disaster-Recovery-Center-Opens-Saturday-In-West-206042341.html
Disaster Recovery Center Opens Saturday In West
May 4, 2013

WEST (May 4, 2013)—A Disaster Recovery Center opens Saturday in West for residents including homeowners, renters and business owners affected by the deadly April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 and left about 200 injured.

The center will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily at POINTWEST Bank at 201 North Roberts Rd. in West.

Specialists from the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration will staff the center to answer residents’ questions and to provide information about the kinds of assistance that are available.

“The recovery center will serve as a one-stop shop for folks who need one-on-one assistance,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Kevin L. Hannes.

“State and federal professionals will be available to help eligible survivors get help as quickly as possible.”

The original federal emergency declaration was amended to extend assistance to individuals and affected residents can register online, selecting the “EXPLOSION” option and then the “fire/smoke/soot/ash” option, FEMA said.
Register Online: 
http://www.disasterassistance.gov/

More...

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/fema-transitional-sheltering-in-west
FEMA transitional sheltering in West
Shelter for residents of West
May 5, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has activated a plan to provide transitional shelter for residents of West whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged by last month's fertilizer plant explosion.

The plan allows affected residents to stay in motels for a limited amount of time at FEMA's expense.
 ::snipping3::
The initial period of assistance will last through May 18.

Coordinating officer Kevin L Hannes says FEMA is working closely with state and local officials "to develop a long-term housing solution to help West residents until their homes are repaired or rebuilt."

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Officials-Ammonium-nitrate-led-to-West-blast-4492945.php
Officials: Ammonium nitrate led to West blast
May 6, 2013

A stockpile of ammonium nitrate at a fertilizer plant in West was the source of a deadly April 17 explosion, investigators said Monday.

The cause of the fire that preceded the explosion, however, remains undetermined.

Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal's Office, confirmed that ammonium nitrate was stored in bins at the blast point, in a building that also included an office.

“We know (the fire) started in that building,” Moreno said, “but not in the bin.”

The explosion killed 15 people, mostly firefighters and others who rushed to contain the fire and evacuate nearby residents. Officials have focused on a 93-foot-wide crater at the site of the explosion. The fire also broke out in that vicinity.

 ::snipping3::

Fire alone cannot cause ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used to make fertilizer, to explode. The investigation continues into which other factors, such as intense pressure or extreme heat, may have contributed.

“There are four things that can make it explode,” Moreno said. “We don't know if three of them were present, four of them present.”

The fertilizer company notified state health officials it was capable of storing up to 270 tons of ammonium nitrate, though the exact amount of the chemical on site at the time of the blast was unknown. The amount the plant reported was more than virtually any similar business in Texas.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Fest-for-West-in-Bryan-Raises-20000-206334551.html
Fest for West in Bryan Raises $20,000+
May 6, 2013

 ::snipping3::
In less than two weeks, the Downtown Bryan Association helped organize the "Fest for West" event on Main Street.

According to organizers, $20,495 were raised through the event, which featured 16 musical acts at the Palace Theater and the Grand Stafford Theater. Brandon Rhyder headlined the show.

A silent auction was held, and t-shirts and barbecue were sold, with all the proceeds going towards the victims of the West Fertilizer Plant explosion last month.

http://www.kvue.com/news/No-room-for-West-volunteer-firefighters-on-Austin-monument-206362011.html
No room on Texas monument for volunteer firefighters killed in West
May 6, 2013

AUSTIN -- A temporary stone with seven names etched onto it lays in the shadow of the second-oldest memorial on the Texas Capitol grounds. The temporary stone is necessary, because 117 years after the monument was built; it has run out of room for more names.
 ::snipping3::
Technically, the monument has been full since 2011, but now there is an immediate effort to build a permanent addition to the 50-foot tall memorial
 ::snipping3::
The new memorial will be a wall of granite surrounding the existing statue, with enough room to honor fallen volunteer firefighters for years to come.
“These firefighters do this for no pay, they do it out of the gratification of their heart to give back to their community and we figured the least we can do is honor them by putting their names on the memorial."
Barron tells KVUE they need donations to make the permanent memorial possible. It will cost an estimated $100,000 and they hope to get enough money to begin work immediately.
If you would like to make a donation, click here to make it online, or please send your check payable to “SFFMA Monument Expansion,” 4450 Frontier Trail, Austin, TX 78745.

https://www.texasfirefightermemorial.org/

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/investigation-retraces-lines-of-plant-blast
Investigation retraces lines of plant blast
Examiners work to reconstruct scene before blast
May 7, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/Y1tBAWU.jpg)
A blast crater sits in the remains of a fertilizer plant destroyed by an explosion in West, Texas, Thursday, April 18, 2013. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

WEST, Texas (AP) — Almost a month into their review of the deadly blast at a Texas fertilizer plant, investigators are hoping to draw a picture from the air of how the plant looked before the explosion and compare it to the 93-foot-wide crater that's there now.

They'll paint and mark off lines for the walls of each building at West Fertilizer, where an April 17 explosion killed at least 14 people. Then, they'll fly overhead to compare the lines to the crater.

That process will occur as investigators try to reconstruct whatever they can of the plant — from electrical wires to pieces of walls — in hopes of nailing down how ammonium nitrate detonated in a blast that sent debris flying through ceilings blocks away and registered as a small earthquake.

Their work has taken longer than expected, causing some frustration as people continue to wait for answers. After saying they might finish this week, officials now say they'll need more time and are asking for patience.

"We're not going to leave anything unturned on the scene, and there just happened to be more that needed to be turned," assistant state fire marshal Kelly Kistner said. "That's all there is to it."
 ::snipping3::
"We're not talking about a 100 percent reconstruction. You can't do that, especially at this site. That's not going to happen," said Brian Hoback, a national response team supervisor for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "But what you try to do is you try to reconstruct those things that are important to you in terms of origin and cause."

While the fire marshal's office said this week that stores of ammonium nitrate exploded, officials said they still didn't know what caused it to detonate or what caused the fire beforehand. The explosion occurred about 20 minutes after authorities were alerted to the fire.

Kistner laid out four possible factors, any one of which could have caused the ammonium nitrate to explode: heat, possibly from the fire; a physical shock to the chemical; an issue with how it was contained or stored; and contamination.

"So at this point, we all know we had a fire and we had heat, right?" Kistner said. "If we look at the shock, the containment and the contamination, those are things we're still looking at and still investigating."

Officials still are investigating how much ammonium nitrate was on site and whether any other chemicals were involved.

The large crater left in the blast has been mapped, excavated with heavy equipment and raked through by investigators, Hoback said. It could provide clues to how much ammonium nitrate was on site and other details of the blast, officials have said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/Investigation-retraces-lines-of-Texas-plant-blast-206524721.html
Investigation retraces lines of Texas plant blast
May 7, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Officials have pushed back an initial date of May 10 for findings after determining they had more work left to do than originally thought.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/10/us/damage-from-west-texas-explosion.html
A Neighborhood Nearly Obliterated by a Blast
An April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West, Tex., leveled hundreds of homes and buildings. Days later, town officials inspected the structures and placed colored tags on them based on the extent of damage
May 9, 2013

(See satellite image)

http://www.kvue.com/news/West-EMS-worker-arrested-for-possessing-destructive-device-206913451.html
West EMS worker charged with possession of destructive device
MAY 10, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/payfQca.jpg)

WEST, Texas -- Bryce Reed, a volunteer EMS worker who talked with the media during the aftermath of the West explosion, was detained and faces a charge of possessing a destructive device.
KHOU reports that his arrest has not been confirmed to be related to the plant explosion on April 17, which killed 14 people and injured 200.
Reed served as a volunteer EMS worker for West and was placed on leave after the explosion. He was arrested the morning of May 9 and is being held at the McLennan County Jail.
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/former-ems-volunteer-arrested-on-possession-of-destructive-device-charge-firefighter-explosion-206912431.html
EMS volunteer arrested on possession of destructive device charge
May 10, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/y4xchDw.jpg)
EMS volunteer Bryce Reed gives a video eulogy for Cyrus Reed, one of the firefighters killed in the West blast. Bryce Reed was arrested on May 10, 2013 for possession of an explosive device.

WEST –– Bryce Reed, a volunteer EMS worker who frequently spoke with the media during the aftermath of the West explosion, was detained and faces a charge of possession of a destructive device.
Reed, who served as a volunteer EMS worker for West, was arrested Thursday morning and is being held at the McLennan County Jail.
Sources familiar with the case said Reed, 31, was in possession of possible bomb making materials. He is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge Friday morning in Waco.
At this point, agents have not connected the arrest to April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion that killed 15, including 12 first responders.
During the April 25 memorial in Waco, Reed gave a previously recorded eulogy for Cyrus Reed, his best friend who was killed battling the blaze.
 ::snipping3::
In a statement released Friday morning, the Texas Department of Public Safety announced the McLellan County Sheriff's Office and the Texas Rangers have launched a criminal investigation into the explosion.
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/us/after-plant-explosion-texas-remains-wary-of-regulation.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
After Plant Explosion, Texas Remains Wary of Regulation
May 9, 2013

Comments

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/director_staff/media_and_communications/pr051013.htm

News Release

May 10, 2013
McLennan County Sheriff and Texas Rangers to Launch Criminal Investigation into West Plant Explosion

Officials continue to assist community in recovery effort
AUSTIN – Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steven McCraw today directed the Texas Rangers to join McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara in launching a criminal investigation into the fertilizer plant explosion that occurred in West, Texas, on April 17.

“This disaster has severely impacted the community of West, and we want to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that all the facts related to this incident are uncovered,” said Director McCraw.

“The citizens of McLennan County and Texas must have confidence that this incident has been looked at from every angle and professionally handled – they deserve nothing less,” said Sheriff McNamara.

No further information regarding this ongoing investigation will be released at this time.

Three weeks after the disaster in West, DPS Division of Emergency Management officials also continue to work with local, state and federal partners to assess the damages and facilitate recovery assistance to the victims in the community.

For more information about disaster assistance, visit: http://www.disasterassistance.gov/
 (http://www.disasterassistance.gov/)
### (HQ 2013-55)

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/justice/texas-explosion-probe/index.html
Criminal probe started in Texas fertilizer plant blast
May 10, 2013

(CNN) -- Texas authorities are launching a criminal investigation into last month's deadly fertilizer distribution facility explosion in West, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday.
The announcement was made on the same day authorities arrested Bryce Reed, a West emergency volunteer who was a first-responder to the disaster.
Authorities have not tied the arrest to the deadly blast.
McLennan County sheriff's records clerk Betty Duncan told CNN that Reed was arrested for possession of a destructive device, booked early Friday, and is in the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Reed spoke at a memorial for the victims at Baylor University.
More...

Video at link

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/10/west-texas-explosion/2150461/
Paramedic from Texas plant blast arrested
May 10, 2013

A volunteer paramedic who was one of the first on the scene of a fire and massive explosion last month at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, was arrested early Friday and charged with possession of a destructive device, The Dallas Morning News reported.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/texas/article/Texas-launches-criminal-probe-into-plant-explosion-4506052.php
Texas launches criminal probe into plant explosion
May 10, 2013
WACO, Texas (AP) — Texas law enforcement officials on Friday launched a criminal investigation into the massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people last month, after weeks of largely treating the blast as an industrial accident.

The announcement came the same day a paramedic who helped to evacuate residents the night of the explosion was arrested on a charge of possessing a destructive device, though it is not clear whether the charge is related to the April 17 blast at West Fertilizer Co.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/powerful-exploson-rocks-town-north-of-waco-203508001.html
Search for trapped continues; reports of looting after West explosion
Posted April 17, 2013, Updated April 18, 2013

 ::snipping3::
The initial fire call at the fertilizer plant was logged at 7:29 p.m. Twenty-four minutes later -- as firefighters, police and paramedics were evacuating nearby residents -- there was a devastating explosion.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/lawsuits-filed-against-west-fertilizer
Lawsuits filed against West Fertilizer
Officials say rail car not cause of deadly blast
April 23, 2013

No cause for the blast that started with a fire at the plant on Wednesday night has been identified. Kelly Kisner of the State Fire Marshal's Office said Tuesday  that a rail car near the blast site was not the cause. More likely, the fire and explosion were sparked by someone who was killed at the scene.
 ::snipping3::
http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-explosion-tapes-tell-critical-story-of-hidden-danger-204387861.html
Recordings tell critical story of hidden danger at fertilizer plant
April 23, 2013

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/10/west-texas-explosion/2150461/
Paramedic from Texas plant blast arrested
May 10, 2013

A volunteer paramedic who was one of the first on the scene of a fire and massive explosion last month at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, was arrested early Friday and charged with possession of a destructive device, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Officials have not said whether the arrest of Bryce Reed, 31, is related to the April 17 explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. that killed 14 people, injured around 200 and destroyed hundreds of homes in the vicinity, the newspaper said.

The arrest came as Texas law enforcement officials on Friday said they had launched a criminal investigation into the massive fertilizer plant explosion.

News 92 FM in Houston reported that Reed, who is with the West Emergency Medical Services, was one of the early first responders to the scene of the catastrophe and was assigned to be the incident commander at the scene. News 92 FM said authorities indicated that the explosive device was a pipe bomb.

U.S. Marshals arrested Reed around 2 a.m. and and booked him into McLennan County Jail in Waco, the News reported.

The newspaper said Reed had spoken to The Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times in the immediate aftermath of the explosion about his experience.

In the interview with the Los Angeles Times on the day after the explosion, Reed said that his best friend, an emergency worker, had also responded to the fire that preceded the blast.

Bryce Reed said he was ordered to go just south of the fire to take over as incident commander while his friend stayed at the scene of the blaze and was there when the explosion occurred.

"He was my best friend. He got me help through the crisis in my life. He's my brother," Reed told the Times.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/former-ems-volunteer-arrested-on-possession-of-destructive-device-charge-firefighter-explosion-206912431.html
Rangers launch West blast investigation, won't say if arrest is related
May 10, 2013
Posted on May 10, 2013 at 8:57 AM
Updated today at 1:03 PM
WEST –– Bryce Reed, a volunteer paramedic who frequently spoke with the media during the aftermath of the West explosion, was arrested Friday and faces a charge of possession of a destructive device.
Reed, who served as a volunteer for West Emergency Medical Services, was arrested Thursday morning and booked in the McLennan County Jail. He was later picked up by the U.S. Marshals and is currently in their custody.
Sources familiar with the case said Reed, 31, is suspected of being in possession of possible bomb making materials. He was scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge Friday morning in Waco.
At this point, agents have not connected the arrest to the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion that killed 15, including 12 first responders. One of Reed's neighbors, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, told News 8's David Schechter that he reported Reed to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms because Reed claimed to have made a pipe bomb that he took to another home.
A spokesman for the ATF has not responded to a request for comment.
 ::snipping3::

http://news92fm.com/351655/breaking-west-texas-ems-worker-charged-with-possession-of-destructive-device/
BREAKING: West Texas EMS Worker Charged with Possession of Pipe Bomb
May 10, 2013

WEST, TX – A sealed warrant lead to the arrest of a first responder in the central Texas town of West.
Bryce Reed was booked into the McLennan County jail at 5:10 a.m. Friday. He faces a federal charge of possession of a destructive device.
Authorities indicate the 31-year-old had a pipe bomb.
According to sources, Reed asked an acquaintance to store a box for him sometime after the April 19 explosive at the West Fertilizer Company. That person reportedly found what appeared to be a pipe bomb in the box. Authorities were then contacted which led to the investigation.
Reed was one of the first to arrive at the catastrophic explosion at the fertilizer plant in April. He was assigned to be the incident commander at the scene.
It is too early to determine if this federal charge is in any way connected to the explosion. Sources indicate they did not believe he was but he may get a second look now from federal and state agencies.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/10/4841154/west-paramedic-arrested-for-possessing.html
West paramedic arrested for having a destructive device
May 10, 2013

A West paramedic was arrested early Friday for possessing a destructive device and later appeared before a federal magistrate.

Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, a volunteer paramedic with West EMS, was arrested by federal marshals about 2 a.m. Friday. He was being held without bond, according to jail records.
Also Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw directed the Texas Rangers to join McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara in a criminal investigation of the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West that killed 15 and injured 200.
 ::snipping3::
It is not clear if the criminal investigation is related to the arrest of Reed.

Houston TV station KPRC quoted unnamed federal sources as saying Reed had asked an acquaintance to store a box for him sometime after the April 17 explosion. The sources said that person decided to look in the box and discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb. They then called the McLennan County Sheriff’s office who contacted federal investigators.

On his LinkedIn profile, Reed said he spent time at the U.S. Biological and Chemical Weapon Depot in Ft McClellan, Ala.

Reed also lists one year from 2010-2011 as a technician/regional safety officer for Allied International Emergency LLC., where he said response teams dealt with “Weapons of Mass Destruction Response, Nuclear Event Management, Chemical or Biological Weapons Containment, Large Scale Environmental Loss Mitigation, to DOT/EPA small scale spill cleanup...” The company has three offices, including one in Haltom City but AIE officials didn’t immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

 ::snipping3::

In his last Facebook post on Wednesday, Reed wrote: “I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for all the prayers and support. I'm going to take a break from Facebook to reflect. I assure you that I'm ok. God bless you all, and please if you heed nothing else I have said, love one another. God bless. Bryce.”

A spokeswoman with State Fire Marshal’s Office, which has been the lead agency in investigating the cause of the investigation, declined to comment about the arrest.

Reed was scheduled to make an initial appearance before Federal Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske at 10:15 a.m. in Waco. It was not open to the public.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/former-ems-volunteer-arrested-on-possession-of-destructive-device-charge-firefighter-explosion-206912431.html
Affidavit: EMS volunteer admitted to owning components of pipe bomb
May 10, 2013

 ::snipping3::
One of Reed's neighbors, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, told News 8's David Schechter that he reported Reed to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms because Reed claimed to have made a pipe bomb that he took to another home.
According to an affidavit released Friday afternoon, the McLennan County Sheriff's Office were called on May 7 to an Abbott residence, where they found components of a pipe bomb, including a galvanized pipe and individual bags of chemical powders. The affidavit went on to say that Reed, 31, gave the items to a resident of the home on April 26 and that he later admitted to "possessing the components of the pipe bomb."
Reed appeared before a federal magistrate judge Friday morning in Waco. Another hearing was scheduled on May 15.
At this point, agents have not connected the arrest to the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion that killed 15, including 12 first responders.
The Texas Rangers are now assisting the McLennan County Sheriff's Department with a criminal investigation into the cause of the fatal explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. 
The Texas Department of Public Safety issued a release announcing the investigation on Friday. Other than two prepared quotes from DPS Director Steven McCraw and Sheriff Parnell McNamara, details are thin.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22216539/west-emt-arrested-destructive-device
West EMT arrested for possession of destructive device; criminal investigation launched
May 10, 2013
Posted: May 10, 2013 9:15 AM CDT
Updated: May 10, 2013 2:34 PM CDT

 ::snipping3::
Federal officials said in a statement on Friday that deputies from the McLennand County Sheriff's office were called to a house in Abbott, just minutes away from West, where a person found bomb making components that Reed had given to him the previous week.

Reed admitted to officials he had possessed the various components.

Records indicate the bomb making components included a galvanized metal pipe 3 1/2 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Attached to the pipe were two galvanized end caps, one which had a hole drilled in it.

Other items found included hobby fuse, a lighter, scale, coils of metal ribbon and "several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags."
 ::snipping3::
Reed made an appearance in federal court in Waco on Friday, but the hearing was closed to media.

His next court appearance is set for May 15.

In a previous version of this report, we indicated there was a connection between Bryce Reed and the explosion in West, Texas. Such statement was posted in error and as of Friday, May 10 at 1:25 p.m., authorities have not made any such connection.

May 10, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/fwhanna (https://twitter.com/fwhanna)

Bill Hanna ‏@fwhanna 2h
More details on West paramedic arrest for possessing a destructive device |  ... http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/10/4841154/west-paramedic-arrested-for-possessing.html?storylink=addthis#.UY0uEgqGkxk.twitter … +@startelegram

 Bill Hanna ‏@fwhanna 3h
West paramedic arrested for possessing a destructive device | Breaking News | News from ... http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/10/4841154/west-paramedic-arrested-for-possessing.html?storylink=addthis#.UY0XKxAzEfI.twitter … +@startelegram

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130510-authorities-not-saying-whether-west-explosion-criminal-probe-paramedic-s-arrest-connected.ece
Authorities not saying whether West explosion criminal probe linked to paramedic's arrest
May 10, 2013

 ::snipping3::
As Reed remained in federal custody of the Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Friday, divergent portraits of the man emerged.
After answering the door at his Rockwall home Friday, Gary Nelson said he couldn’t believe the charges against his stepson. He said there is “not a chance” that Reed was involved in the deadly explosion.
“He's been tore up about it,” Nelson said, adding that the family is “100 percent behind him.”
But the sister of a firefighter Reed eulogized at a public memorial last month said she had to ask police to guard her deceased brother’s apartment because she feared Reed had been stealing from it since the blast.
“Instead of grieving my brother's death, we're dealing with all of this,” said Sarah Reed, who is not related to Bryce Reed. 
Bryce Reed’s wife, Brittany Reed, declined to comment when reached by phone early Friday.
“I can’t. No comment, no comment, no comment right now,” she said before hanging up the phone.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw and McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara released a joint statement Friday morning about the criminal investigation. Neither mentioned Reed’s arrest.
“The citizens of McLennan County and Texas must have confidence that this incident has been looked at from every angle and professionally handled – they deserve nothing less,” McNamara said. 
Bryce Reed’s neighbors on Main Street north of downtown West on Friday said that ATF agents were at the man’s home for several hours late Thursday afternoon. The neighbors declined to give their names but said Bryce Reed had a young daughter and that he hadn’t been staying at the home since the explosion.
At last month’s public memorial for the 12 people killed responding to the fire, Reed gave a heartfelt and often humorous eulogy for Cyrus Reed, who was a volunteer firefighter in nearby Abbott. The two men weren’t related, though they shared the same last name and Bryce Reed often referred to Cyrus Reed as his brother.
In a video that aired at the memorial, Bryce Reed said Cyrus Reed lived life to the fullest. He said Cyrus Reed also loved fire and was known for backyard high jinks that included shooting BB guns at pressurized cans of processed cheese.
“He would giggle and then proceed to plead his case and say, ‘You don’t understand, it was like 15 feet in the air and it spun and it was so cool,’” Bryce Reed said at the April 25 memorial in Waco that was attended by Gov. Rick Perry and President Barack Obama. 
But Sarah Reed, who is Cyrus Reed’s biological sister, said her family had been “fooled by Bryce Reed.” She said that her family let Bryce Reed eulogize their relative because he led them to believe that he and Cyrus Reed were very close.
Sarah Reed said she and her family have gone through Cyrus Reed's computer and cellphone records and have found that the two first responders might not have been as close as the suspect led the public to believe, she said.
“He convinced us that he and Cyrus were very close, like brothers," she said. "But I want people to know they are not brothers, and he is not part of our family."
Bryce Reed’s Facebook page indicates that some people may have accused him of profiting off of donations. He described this week as a trying one, posting on Monday that he is "appalled at how people are tearing me apart."
“I have not received ONE CENT for ANYTHING that I did to help with this situation,” Bryce Reed wrote on Tuesday. “I have not been paid by the media, by press, I made nothing for delivering my brothers eulogy, and made NOTHING off of this tragedy. I was a shoulder to cry on, I found a GREAT new family, and was blessed to get to tell them about their son.”
Before his arrest, Bryce Reed had spoken to the media — including The Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times — about his experience responding to the explosion. The News does not pay interview subjects and did not pay Reed.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/breaking-news/paramedic-in-west-arrested-on-destructive-device-c/nXnWc/
Paramedic in West arrested on destructive device charge; criminal investigation into explosion launched
Updated: 2:43 p.m. Friday, May 10, 2013 | Posted: 11:54 a.m. Friday, May 10, 2013

 ::snipping3::
The paramedic, 31-year old Bryce Reed, was arrested in West yesterday and appeared in federal court this morning in Waco, where he remains in custody, officials said, pending a detention hearing May 15. If convicted, Reed faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
According to the federal complaint, McLennan County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence in the nearby town of Abbott yesterday, where they found “an assortment of bomb making components” that the resident had “unwittingly” been given by Reed on April 26, nine days after the explosion.
The affadavit filed with the complaint said the components included a galvanized metal pipe, hobby fuse, lighter and several pounds of chemical powders — ingredients for a pipe bomb.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the McLennan County sheriff announced Friday that they would open a criminal investigation into the plant explosion.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has led an investigation into the explosion since shortly after the incident, on April 17.
Asked Friday morning if the investigation had turned up evidence that the fire was not accidental, Franceska Perot, a spokeswoman at the ATF, said no.
As of Tuesday, the investigation into the origin and cause of the West Fertilizer Plant fire and explosion is ongoing, according to officials with the ATF and the state fire marshal’s office. Investigators eliminated the following causes for the origin of the fire: lightning, anhydrous ammonium, a railcar containing ammonium nitrate, and a fire within the ammonium nitrate bin. Additionally, investigators concluded water used during fire fighting activities did not contribute to the cause of the explosion.
Investigators say the origin of the fire was in the fertilizer and seed building, but they continue to work on pinpointing an exact location of origin.
 ::snipping3::
At a hearing at the Capitol on May 1, Kelly Kistner, the assistant state fire marshal, said investigators had not shut out the possibility of terrorism or criminal activity.
“A criminal act has not been eliminated,” he said.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Widow-Of-Firefighter-Killed-In-West-Blast-Sues-206953911.html#.UY1dwis4Xik
Widow Of Firefighter Killed In West Blast Sues
May 10, 2013

WEST (May 10, 2013)—The widow of a Dallas firefighter who died while helping battle the April 17 fire at West Fertilizer Co. has filed a lawsuit against the plant and its owners.

Dallas Fire-Rescue Capt. Kenneth “Luckey” Harris, Jr., 52, was among the first responders killed in the powerful explosion, which claimed the lives of 15 people, left about 200 injured, and damaged or destroyed scores of homes and buildings in the town of 1,700.

The suit brought by lawyers for Harris’ widow Holly names West Fertilizer and Adair Grain Company, both of West, and Scottie Isham, as defendants and lists Harris’ three grown sons as among the plaintiffs.
 ::snipping3::
The lawsuit was filed in Waco's 170th State District Court, district clerk's office records showed Friday.

The sixth lawsuit was filed earlier in 170th District Court by plaintiffs Carmen Bridges, along with Brent Wayne Bridges, Louise A. Mills and two other minors.

Another, filed in 74th District Court, names Joshua Zarecor as plaintiff and it adds Texas Grain Storage and West Folour Mill as defendants.

Yet another lawsuit filed in 414th District Court is filed by Admiral Insurance Company as plaintiff.

Lawsuits previously filed include one brought by a couple from West who were injured in the deadly fertilizer plant explosion.

The petition alleges Mrs. Bowles was thrown by the explosion and suffered a broken jaw, loosened teeth, a perforated eardrum, and loss of hearing.

Another was filed by Andrea Jones Guetirrez and it names Adair Grain and West Fertilizer as co-defendants.

Guetirrez is seeking between $500,000 and $1 million in damages.

The first suit filed was brought by four separate insurance companies, names Adair Grain and West Fertilizer as co-defendants.

The insurance companies have policies which protect several businesses.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/destructive-device-arrest-made-in-west
Feds: West EMS worker had 'bomb-making components'
Won't speculate on connection to April 17 blast

Updated: Friday, 10 May 2013, 3:40 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 10 May 2013, 9:37 AM CDT

 ::snipping3::
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a news released that Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, was arrested Thursday by agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

According to an affidavit released by the federal court in Waco, the McLennan County Sheriff's Office was called on Tuesday to home in Abbott, which is near West, about "a possible destructive device" and related items. The affidavit said that law enforcement officials determined that the device and related items belonged to Reed.

The affidavit describes the material found as a 3.5-inch galvanized metal pipe an inch and a half in diameter. Two galvanized end caps were attached to the pipe. One end cap had a small hole drilled into it.

Canisters containing a fuse, a lighter, six coils of metal ribbon and several pounds of chemical powders were also found. The powders were described as potassium nitrate, aluminum powder, red iron oxide, ammonium perchlorate, sulfur powder and other materials.

The affidavit said that the materials had been left in the home by Reed on April 26, but the person at the home did not what had been left.

Potassium nitrate is used in fertilizers and can also be used in fireworks and gunpowder. Aluminum powder, potassium nitrate and sulfur are common ingredients in flash powder. The affidavit said ATF explosives and chemistry experts determined that the materials "can be readily assembled into a destructive device."

The sheriff's office warned against jumping to any conclusions based on what officials have released so far.

“It is important to emphasize that at this point, no evidence has been uncovered to indicate any connection to the events surrounding the fire and subsequent explosion at the fertilizer plant and the arrest of Bryce Reed by the ATF,” the office said in a news release.

Reed, acted as the town's spokesman in the aftermath of the blast, had a court appearance in Waco on Friday and will remain in custody pending a detention hearing on Wednesday.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2013-05-10/west-investigation-now-criminal-investigation/
West Investigation Now Criminal Investigation
Law enforcement makes arrest, will not state if connected
May 10, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Less than two hours later, the Dallas Morning News broke the news that Bryce Ashley Reed, an EMT who responded to the West explosion, had been arrested on Thursday for possession of the components of a pipe bomb, and had been charged with possession of a destructive device
According to the complaint filed today in the Western District, McLennan law enforcement officers were called to a residence in Abbott, Texas on May 7. They discovered a components for a "possible destructive device," including a 3.5 inch by 1.5 inch galvanized metal pipe with a 1/8 inch drilled hole, plus fuses, metal ribbon, and "several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags." According to the affadavit, the owner of the material had "unwittingly taken possession of the components from Reed on April 26," nine days after the explosion.
It is unclear whether this morning's DPS statement and Reed's arrest are connected, or whether this is simply coincidental timing. After all, no-one in Texas wants a repetition of what happened to Richard Jewell, the security guard falsely accused of the 1996 Centennial Park bombing in Atlanta.
Any investigation may be complicated by the sheer number of explosive devices in circulation. Far from being an oddity, there are hundreds of domestic bombings and bomb-related incidents every year in the US, mostly arson or backyard experimenters. In a 2009 article on the bureau's website, FBI Laboratory examiner Kirk Yaeger said, "Probably once a month I hear from law enforcement somewhere about someone blowing their hand off while experimenting in this manner."

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/mclennan_county/west-blast-victims-may-not-get-property-tax-relief/article_f65c7020-1709-5aec-84eb-16c6d73d63b1.html
West blast victims may not get property tax relief
May 10, 2013

Some West residents may end up paying taxes this year on homes that no longer exist.
Residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed in the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion have until the end of May to protest the appraisals on which property taxes are based.
But under state law, appraisal values are supposed to reflect the value of the property on Jan. 1 of the tax year. That means the McLennan County Appraisal District isn’t authorized to take into account damage to the property since then, Chief Appraiser Drew Hahn said.
Hahn said his office is encouraging affected residents to file a protest anyway, allowing them to meet personally with an appraiser and seek a value adjustment. Afterward, they can take their case to the Appraisal Review Board, which is independent of the appraisal district staff.
“We’re going to do everything we can to work with them,” Hahn said. “But we’re duty-bound to follow the law, and we get audited by the State Comptroller’s Office.”
Hahn said that Section 23.03 of the Texas Property Tax Code allows local governments to authorize reappraisals after natural disasters, but the fertilizer plant explosion wouldn’t qualify.
Hahn estimated that West lost at least $29 million in taxable value as a result of the blast, not counting damage to nontaxable property such as schools, water tanks and infrastructure.
That amount represents more than one-fifth of West’s tax base of $140.4 million, according to preliminary values. Hahn said losing that much revenue this year would hobble the finances of the city and West Independent School District when they need the money the most.
More...

Photo gallery at link with 10 images

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/update-feds-will-not-speculate-whether-pipe-bomb-components-related/article_497ff644-0631-53c4-8181-755e1743aa39.html#.UY1zOwqf1jc.twitter
Update: Feds ‘will not speculate’ whether pipe bomb components related to West explosion
Posted: Friday, May 10, 2013 11:40 am | Updated: 2:50 pm, Fri May 10, 2013.

 ::snipping3::
A sworn affidavit signed by an ATF special agent reports McLennan County sheriff’s deputies were called to an undisclosed residence in Abbott on Tuesday, where they discovered components that experts say could be used to make a pipe bomb, including a 3.5-by-1.5-inch galvanized pipe, and canisters containing a hobby fuse, a lighter, digital scale, plastic spoon and six coils of ribbon. Agents also found several pounds of bagged chemical powders, including potassium nitrate, aluminum powder, red iron oxide, ammonium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate, sulfur powder, air float charcoal and Eckart 10890 German Dark Aluminum, the court documents state.
An investigation determined that the unnamed resident at the home “had unwittingly taken possession of the components from Reed” on April 26. Reed has admitted to possessing the components of a pipe bomb to law enforcement officials, according to the affidavit.
Reed is in federal custody, and scheduled for a detention hearing Wednesday.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130510-paramedic-arrested-friday-was-fired-2-days-after-west-plant-explosion.ece
Paramedic arrested Friday was fired 2 days after West plant explosion
May 10, 2013

WEST –  The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Friday afternoon said it “will not speculate” on whether a pipe bomb allegedly belonging to a West paramedic has any connection with the fatal fertilizer plant fire and explosion that he responded to.
Bryce Reed, who told The Dallas Morning News that he assumed radio command of the April 17 incident after the explosion killed his superiors and colleagues, was accused Friday of giving an “assortment of bomb making components” to an unnamed person in nearby Abbott on April 26, nine days after the explosion.
Hours after his arrest, the Texas Rangers and McLennan County Sheriff’s office launched a criminal investigation into the plant explosion but did not say what role, if any, the federal charges against Reed played in their decision.
Also on Friday, West officials for the first time notified the state agency that licenses paramedics that Reed was let go two days after the blast, according to records obtained by The News. The emails do not explain his termination.
Dr. George Smith, medical director of West EMS, declined to comment late Friday afternoon as to why Reed was let go last month. West Police Chief James Lawhorn also declined to comment about the situation.
 ::snipping3::
Reed was charged Friday with possession of a destructive device. He faces 10 years in prison. Reed made an initial appearance in federal court in Waco on Friday but did not enter a plea.
According to an affidavit from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, someone who lives in Abbott called the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday about a “possible destructive device” that they had “unwittingly taken possession of” from Reed.
Authorities found a 3.5-inch long galvanized metal pipe with a 1.5-inch diameter that had galvanized end caps. There was also a lighter and several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags, special ATF agent Douglas J. Kunze wrote in his affidavit. A U.S. Justice Department press release said Reed gave the component to the Abbott resident on April 26.
As Reed remained in federal custody of the Bureau of Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Friday, divergent portraits of the man emerged.
After answering the door at his Rockwall home Friday, Gary Nelson said he couldn’t believe the charges against his stepson. He said there is “not a chance” that Reed was involved in the deadly explosion.
“He's been tore up about it,” Nelson said, adding that the family is “100 percent behind him.”
 ::snipping3::
Bryce Reed’s neighbors on Main Street north of downtown West on Friday said that ATF agents were at the man’s home for several hours late Thursday afternoon. The neighbors declined to give their names but said Bryce Reed had a young daughter and that he hadn’t been staying at the home since the explosion.
 ::snipping3::
Before his arrest, Bryce Reed had spoken to the media — including The Dallas Morning News and the Los Angeles Times — about his experience responding to the explosion. The News does not pay interview subjects and did not pay Reed.
Bryce Reed told The News that he was home with his wife on April 17 when they heard about a fire at the plant. He said the two drove through the residential streets north of downtown West and headed toward the plant. He said he saw Cyrus Reed’s truck at the plant and then drove away to help evacuate people who lived nearby.
Bryce Reed and his wife felt the boom from the explosion 10 seconds later, he told The News. 
He said he doubled back to the plant to help search for and treat any survivors, then assumed command on the radio when he realized his superiors had died in the explosion.
Bryce Reed was also an instructor for an EMS class, according to Amanda Atkins, a student.

I wonder what was going on in Bryce Reed's life? He went on leave early last month before the West explosion and was fired two days after the explosion?  And now he's been arrested?

May 10, 2013 Tweets

Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 2h
Bryce Reed is a paramedic for Children's Medical Ctr in Dallas; went on leave early last month, before #West explosion, reports @cbs11jack.

 Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 3h
31-year-old Bryce Reed is a volunteer paramedic with West EMS.

 Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 3h
Authorities will not speculate whether the destructive device has any
connection to the West explosion.

 Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 3h
The paramedic who helped after the West fertilizer plant explosion & is now charged w/possessing bomb-making materials is in federal custody

Here's the twitter link for above:  https://twitter.com/carrtami (https://twitter.com/carrtami)

Link to criminal complaint against Bryce Ashley Reed:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/140671732/Criminal-complaint-against-Bryce-Ashley-Reed

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-west-pipe-bomb-20130510,0,1771842.story#tugs_story_display
West, Texas, paramedic appears in court on pipe bomb charges
May 10, 2013

HOUSTON -- A paramedic who responded to the massive explosion in West, Texas, last month was arrested Friday after federal investigators discovered he had the makings of a pipe bomb, authorities said.

It was not clear whether the arrest was connected to the ongoing investigation of the April 17 explosion, which killed 14 people and wounded more than 160.

West Paramedic Bryce Reed appeared Friday in federal court in the county seat of Waco, Texas, on federal charges of unlawfully possessing an unregistered destructive device, according to a statement released to the Los Angeles Times by U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman and ATF Special Agent in Charge Robert Champion.

Reed was appointed an attorney and did not enter a plea, court staff told The Times. That attorney, Waco-based lawyer Jonathan Sibley, did not return calls Friday.

Also, the judge initially sealed the complaint pending Reed's first appearance, then unsealed it Friday. Reed appeared via videoconference, according to court records.

The charges were filed against Reed, 31, after McLennan County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched Tuesday to a residence in Abbott, Texas, where they discovered "an assortment of bomb-making components," according to a federal criminal complaint filed Friday by the ATF.

Reed apparently "admitted to possessing the components of the pipe bomb," according to the complaint.

The bomb-making material included a 3.5-inch length of galvanized metal pipe with two galvanized end caps attached, one of which had a 1/8-inch hole drilled in it, according to the complaint. There were also canisters containing hobby fuse, a lighter, a digital scale, a plastic spoon, six coils of metal ribbon, and several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags, including: potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, aluminum powder, red iron oxide, ammonium perchlorate, sulfur powder, air float charcoal and Eckart 10890 German dark aluminum.

An ATF chemist and explosives expert confirmed the components were bomb-making materials, according to the complaint.
 ::snipping3::

Among the comments:  (I've been seeing a number of comments similar to this one posted after various articles)
Spyderdan at 3:40 PM May 10, 2013
Sounds like guilty until proven innocent to me.
The local authorities must be getting pretty desperate to go after a guy with nothing more than a metal pipe and firework ingredients.
Some old sticks of dynamite are much more dangerous.
Let this be a lesson to all you free people, don't take apart any fire crackers!

I wondered earlier in a post  what was going on in Bryce Reed's life? He went on leave early last month at his job as paramedic at Children's Medical Centre in Dallas before the West explosion and was fired two days after the explosion from his volunteer paramedic position with West EMS, his wife left him and today the fed's have him behind bars.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/05/west_paramedic_whose_brother_d.php
Bryce Reed, a West EMT Whose Best Friend Died in Blast, Arrested for Having "Destructive Device" [Updated]
May 10, 2013, 10:06 (Updated below)

 ::snipping3::
Update, 1:08 p.m.: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that "unnamed federal sources" told TV station KPRC that the "destructive device" was a pipe bomb:

Houston TV station KPRC quoted unnamed federal sources as saying Reed had asked an acquaintance to store a box for him sometime after the April 17 explosion. The sources said that person decided to look in the box and discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb. They then called the McLennan County Sheriff's office who contacted federal investigators.
Reed's recent posts on Facebook have been deeply distraught. He repeatedly denies having received any money for his media interviews after the West bombing, and speaks about his grief over Cyrus Reed's death, as well as the death soon after of another friend in an unrelated incident. He also mentions in a May 7 post that his wife recently left him. Part of the post reads:

Have your brother die, your town explode, your crew be emotionally wrecked, and in the midst of it have your wife leave you because you are lost in your own emotions: ALL IN THE SAME WEEK, and see how you fare. People I am doing my BEST to hold myself together, but please for the love of God quit picking me apart. I have to bury yet ANOTHER friend tomorrow. God Bless
On Wednesday, Reed wrote that he was taking a break from posting on the site: "I'm going to take a break from Facebook to reflect. I assure you that I'm ok. God bless you all, and please if you heed nothing else I have said, love one another. God bless. Bryce."

Update, 2:20 p.m.: Jason Trahan over at WFAA has posted a copy of the federal complaint against Reed. The attached affidavit, written by an ATF agent, says that Reed possessed the "components of a pipe bomb," including a metal pipe, end caps, a hobby fuse, a lighter, a plastic spoon, coiled metal ribbons and "several pounds of chemical powders in individual bags."
 ::snipping3::

I really hope Bryce Reed had nothing to do with the West Fertilizer explosion.

http://m.star-telegram.com/star/db_108360/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=mUsJHo8a&full=true#display
Fired West paramedic faces federal charges of possessing bomb components
billhanna@star-telegram.com (Bill Hanna)
May 10, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Technical experience

On his LinkedIn profile, Reed said he spent time at the U.S. Biological and Chemical Weapon Depot at Fort McClellan, Ala.

Reed also lists one year from 2010-11 as a technician/regional safety officer for Allied International Emergency LLC., where he said response teams were trained to deal with “Weapons of Mass Destruction Response, Nuclear Event Management, Chemical or Biological Weapons Containment, Large Scale Environmental Loss Mitigation, to DOT/EPA small scale spill cleanup ... .” The company has three offices, including one in Haltom City, but officials didn’t immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Other experience listed on his profile included president/CEO of “The Silentium Group Inc.” from 2008-2010. The firm is described as “a turnkey solutions provider for many aspects of complex problems” that prided itself on being discreet. “We do not provide a list of services rendered, nor do we provide a client list.”

Before that, he was a “operator/medic” for Total Tactical Operations, 2004-2006.

In his Myspace bio, Reed is described as “one of the few remaining ‘nice guys’ left” in the modern world. It also states he is an only child, a committed Christian, a singer-songwriter of country and Southern rock music who recorded a CD in 2008.

In the bio he wrote: “I don’t do the whole dress up and rhinestones thing. I am a tee shirt and jeans guy and I am just a normal person. I have fought to keep my identity. I have had ‘image consultants’ tell me how to look, dress, and act ... yeah they got fired.”
 ::snipping3::
In his last Facebook post on Wednesday, Reed wrote: “I just wanted to tell everyone thank you for all the prayers and support. I’m going to take a break from Facebook to reflect. I assure you that I’m ok. God bless you all, and please if you heed nothing else I have said, love one another. God bless. Bryce.”

Crystal LeDane, who lives down the street from Reed, said he was a good neighbor who had changed her flat tire and would sometimes give medical advice about her children’s minor injuries.

“I’ve been thinking it’s an accident, and I still believe that until there’s more information,” said LeDane, as neighbors stood outside Reed’s red brick duplex.

May 10, 2013 Tweets
https://twitter.com/carrtami (https://twitter.com/carrtami)

Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 13h
Sources tell @CBSDFW Bryce Reed was planning to check into a mental health clinic in Austin.

 Tami Carr ‏@CarrTami 13h
The paramedic from West charged w/having bomb-making materials was dismissed from his position 2 days after the fertilizer plant explosion.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/11/justice/texas-explosion-probe/?hpt=hp_t2
Texas first responder to plead not guilty to pipe bomb charge
May 11, 2013

(CNN) -- An emergency responder to last month's deadly Texas fertilizer plant explosion will plead not guilty to the charge of having possessed materials for a pipe bomb, his lawyer told CNN Saturday.
Bryce Reed will enter that plea on Wednesday at a federal court hearing, lawyer Jonathan Sibley said.
Authorities said Friday they were launching a criminal investigation into last month's blast in the town of West, but have not said whether Reed's arrest is connected.
Local sheriff's deputies were called on Tuesday to a residence where they found components for a pipe bomb, according to a criminal complaint affidavit.
The officers determined that Reed had given the materials to the resident of that home last month, the complaint says.
Among the materials found were a galvanized metal pipe, a fuse, coils of metal ribbon and several bags of chemical powders, it adds.
Reed, who was arrested early Friday, is charged with possession of a destructive device.
"At this time authorities will not speculate whether the possession of the unregistered destructive device has any connection to the West fertilizer plant explosion," the U.S. attorney's office for the Western District of Texas said in a release.
If convicted, Reed would face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/former-ems-volunteer-denies-involvement-in-west-blast/article_79c0d721-6429-5c0e-98f7-24bd5171f1c1.html
Former EMS volunteer denies involvement in West blast
May 11, 2013

An attorney for the former West EMS volunteer arrested Friday on charges he possessed bomb-making materials says his client had nothing to do with the April 17 explosion in West and will plead not guilty next week to the pending federal charge.
Federal and local authorities have said there is no evidence currently linking Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, to the fire and deadly blast at West Fertilizer Co.
But after Reed’s arrest, the Texas Rangers and McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara announced Friday they have launched a criminal investigation into the fire and powerful explosion that killed 15, including 12 first responders, injured 200 and damaged more than 300 homes.
Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said in a release Saturday that Reed was among the first responders after the explosion and lost friends, family and neighbors in the tragedy.

“Additionally, Mr. Reed wishes to address any speculation that these allegations are related to the explosion at the West, Texas fertilizer plant on April 17, 2013. Let me be very clear, Mr. Reed had no involvement whatsoever in the explosion at the West, Texas fertilizer plant ... Mr. Reed is heartbroken for the friends he lost and remains resolute in his desire to assist in the rebuilding of his community.
“We ask that Mr. Reed’s family, friends, and community not rush to judgment. Mr. Reed has been through significant hardship in the wake of the disaster in West and he has responded and served his community with honor and strength,” Sibley said.
Sibley said Saturday he has met only briefly with Reed, who will remain in custody at least until a detention hearing Wednesday.
Sibley said he does not know where Reed was when the fire broke out, but said he believes Reed was among the first responders to the emergency.
Sibley said Reed “vigorously denies” the possession of an unregistered destructive device charge for which he was arrested and “anxiously awaits his day in court and his opportunity to address these allegations.”
Court documents supporting Reed’s arrest, however, say Reed has admitted to federal agents possession of the materials to make a pipe bomb.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
ATF agents arrested Reed Thursday night after McLennan County sheriff’s deputies went to a residence in Abbott, where they found what court documents call the components for a pipe bomb.
A bomb squad disabled what officials said was suspected to be a pipe bomb and found other materials, including a pipe, fuses, lighters, scales and at least eight varieties of potentially explosive chemicals.
Federal officials said in court documents that the Abbott resident, who was not identified, “unwittingly” took possession of the components from Reed on April 26, nine days after the massive explosion that rocked West.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-west-explosion-paramedic-statement-20130511,0,7277626.story
West, Texas, paramedic 'vigorously denies' link to explosion
May 11, 2013

HOUSTON -- A paramedic arrested for possessing bomb-making materials after he responded to the massive fertilizer plant fire in West, Texas, has denied any connection between the fire and the charges he faces.

Bryce Reed, 31, released a statement through his attorney Saturday saying he "vigorously denies" charges filed against him Friday. He is accused of passing bomb-making materials to a resident in nearby Abbott, Texas, where they were discovered by the West bomb squad on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials who arrested him.
 ::snipping3::
According to the complaint, Reed "admitted to possessing the components of the pipe bomb." But his attorney told the Los Angeles Times they were still investigating the information detailed in the complaint and that Reed "disputes the allegations."

Reed did not enter a plea when he appeared in Waco federal court on Friday via video conference, and said Saturday he planned to plead not guilty.

"At this point in time, we have not been able to obtain specific information about the extent of the allegations, but Mr. Reed anxiously awaits his day in court and his opportunity to address these allegations," said the statement released to The Times by Reed's Waco-based attorney, Jonathan Sibley.
 ::snipping3::
In his Saturday statement, Reed denied causing the explosion.

"Mr. Reed had no involvement whatsoever in the explosion at the West, Texas, fertilizer plant. Mr. Reed was one of the first responders and lost friends, family, and neighbors in that disaster. Mr. Reed is heartbroken for the friends he lost and remains resolute in his desire to assist in the rebuilding of his community," the statement said.
 ::snipping3::
"We ask that Mr. Reed's family, friends, and community not rush to judgment," the Saturday statement said. "Mr. Reed has been through significant hardship in the wake of the disaster in West and he has responded and served his community with honor and strength."

Reed remained at McLennan County Jail without bond Saturday pending a hearing at 2 p.m. Wednesday in Waco, Sibley said. If convicted, Reed could face up to a decade in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine.
Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/paramedic-a-steady-presence-after-west-explosion
Paramedic a steady presence after West explosion
Called 'heartbroken' after being charged
May 12, 2013

Arrest Warrant Affidavit for Bryce Ashley Reed:

http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/Reed+complaint+W13mj127.pdf

http://www.csmonitor.com/Media/Content/2013/0511/5-11-13-Bryce-Reed
West Texas blast investigation turns to Bryce Reed
May 10, 2013

Video  2 min. 14 sec.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2013/0511/Bryce-Reed-enigma-of-the-Texas-blast-tragedy-video
Bryce Reed, enigma of the Texas blast tragedy (+video)
First responder Bryce Reed became a major media figure in the aftermath of the explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. Now he’s been arrested for having bomb-making supplies.
May 11, 2013

 ::snipping3::
A Los Angeles Times story dated April 18 describes Reed, an “incident commander,” bracing himself for “[having to tell] his best friend’s family that he had died after both of them responded to a fertilizer plant fire that preceded the blast.”

But on Friday, Cyrus Reed’s family had a different response to questions from the Dallas Morning News. “He convinced us that he and Cyrus were very close, like brothers,” Sarah Reed, Cyrus Reed’s sister, said. “But I want people to know they are not brothers, and he is not part of our family.”

In a profile, the Dallas Morning News found other inconsistencies in Reed’s self-portrayal, including degrees listed on his resume that it appears he never actually completed.

Residents began to have more serious questions about Reed after it appeared he had woven different stories to different people about what had happened, and alternately telling people he was a police officer and a government representative. The Morning News also reported that Reed is listed as the contact person for a t-shirt fundraiser that’s brought in $33,177 in sales.

“Integrity is so hard, especially when it is attacked,” Reed wrote early Monday morning in a Facebook post. “I am so sick of being strong. I am so sick of crying. You try to do the right thing, and get kicked for it. I’m so done. I seek no accolades or commendations, I simply wanted to honor the fallen.”

“t’s not exactly known what is believable about Reed,” Dallas Morning News reporters Christina Rosales, Brooks Egerton and Reese Dunklin surmised on Saturday.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/Questions-swirl-around-Reeds-arrest-207296561.html
Questions swirl around paramedic's bomb-making arrest
May 13, 2103

WEST, Texas -- Questions and speculation continue to mount in West over the arrest of former EMS worker Bryce Reed, 31.

According to a federal affidavit, Reed was arrested in connection with bomb making materials. Authorities haven't publicly linked him to the fire or explosion at the fertilizer plant on April 17 that killed 15 people.

His wife, Brittany, in a series of Facebook messages said she is cooperating fully with law enforcement and that she has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

She wouldn't go into specifics about her husband's case, or what she knew ahead of his arrest.
 ::snipping3::
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Nelson-raises-120000-for-West--Abbott-207274381.html
Willie Nelson raises $120,000 for towns hit by plant explosion
May 13, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/4kJ0mTM.jpg)
WEST, Texas -- Town leaders from West, Texas, and neighboring Abbott were all smiles on Monday afternoon as a representative for country music star Willie Nelson gave donated checks totaling more than $120,000.

Most of the money was raised at a benefit birthday concert Nelson hosted a few weeks ago in Austin.

More than $80,000 was donated to the West Volunteer Fire Department.

Abbott got more than $40,000, some of which will be used to help buy a new truck they lost in the explosion of the April 17 fertilizer plant fire. Abbott is known as the birthplace of Willie Nelson.

West Volunteer Fire Chief George Nors Sr. was also on hand after finally being released from the hospital.
 ::snipping3::
According to a News 8 tally of different relief funds set up after the explosion, more than $3.5 million has been raised.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Texas-plant-explosion-findings-to-be-released-207454941.html
Texas plant explosion findings to be released
May 14, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) -- State and federal agents will release this week the findings of an investigation into a deadly explosion at a Central Texas fertilizer plant.

The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will announce their findings on Thursday afternoon.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Federal-Grand-Jury-Indicts-Ex-West-EMS-Volunteer-207455791.html
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Ex-West EMS Volunteer
May 14, 2013

WACO (May 14, 2013)--Former West EMS volunteer Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, who admitted to possessing components to make a pipe bomb, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Waco for possession of a destructive device.

A redacted version of the indictment was released late Tuesday afternoon on Pacer, the online government court information system.
Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley of Waco, learned of the indictment late Tuesday afternoon.

He questions the charge.

“I think they haven’t done a full investigation,” Sibley said.

“I think these charges are premature.”
 ::snipping3::

(Read The Redacted Version Of The Indictment)
http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/reed.pdf

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/West-Explosion-Investigation-Results-Will-Be-Announced-Thursday-207429561.html
West Investigation Results Will Be Announced Thursday
May 14, 2013

WEST (May 14, 2013)--The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will announce the results Thursday of their weeks-long investigation of the deadly April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co.

A news conference is scheduled for late Thursday afternoon in West.

The announcement comes about a week later than originally expected.

Last week State Fire Marshal's Office spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said investigators had determined that ammonium nitrate stored at the plant is what exploded, but not what touched off the ammonium nitrate.

Moreno said a spot that is now a 90-foot-wide crater was where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

Investigators ruled out several possible causes of the initial fire at the plant that led to the explosion that killed 15, injured about 200, damaged or destroyed scores of homes and buildings including three of West's four schools and a nursing home.

"Weather, natural, anhydrous ammonium, the rail car containing ammonium nitrate, and a fire within the ammonium nitrate bin" all have been eliminated as possible causes, the Texas Department of Insurance said in a statement last week.

"Additionally, water used during firefighting activities did not contribute to the cause of the explosion," the department said.

"The investigation has revealed, to date, that the origin of the fire was in the fertilizer and seed building," the insurance department said.

Investigators are trying to pinpoint the exact location, the department said.
 ::snipping3::

There will be reports forthcoming and there will be lessons learned from this tragedy.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  It's very sad it takes events like this to make change.  Bless the folks in the West area. 

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/texas/article/Texas-firefighters-focused-concern-on-toxic-gases-4516850.php#page-1
Texas firefighters focused concern on toxic gases
May 15, 2013


(2 pgs)
WEST, Texas (AP) — When they saw 30-foot flames licking the sky inside a massive fertilizer plant, firefighters in this tiny Texas town rushed to evacuate nearby buildings and raced to spray water on tanks of chemicals, hoping to prevent a catastrophe.

They didn't know, and probably could not imagine, that the plant would soon explode into a deadly fireball and lay waste to much of the community. Instead, they were more concerned with preventing toxic gas from leaking out of the facility and drifting into nearby homes.
 ::snipping3::
Associated Press interviews with first-responders suggest that firefighters' foremost fear was a poisonous cloud of anhydrous ammonia. But the greater threat turned out to be the plant's vast stockpile of a common fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, which can also serve as a cheap alternative to dynamite.

State and federal agents plan to release some of their findings Thursday after spending the last month investigating whether the blast was an industrial accident or a criminal act.

Last week, the Texas Rangers and county sheriff's office launched their own criminal investigation, the same day a paramedic who helped evacuate residents was arrested on a charge of possessing a destructive device. The paramedic has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection to the April 17 blast.

West Mayor Tommy Muska said he did not know how much the firefighters knew about the chemicals on the property, but the fire crew included a manager from the fertilizer plant.

Cody Dragoo "would have known exactly what was in there and the dangers that were there," the mayor said, explaining why he believes firefighters were backing away from the flames at the West Fertilizer Co.

They did not get away fast enough. The plant blew up within 20 minutes of the first call for help. Dragoo was among 10 firefighters and paramedics killed in the blast. Two residents helping to fight the fire were also killed, along with two other people.

The confusion only got worse. When the McLennan County emergency director arrived on the scene, he was unfamiliar with the hazardous materials on the premises. The primary map used by first-responders was from a Google Earth app on an iPad. They had no public address system, and, at least initially, no clear command structure.

But it's unclear whether simply knowing about the ammonium nitrate would have been enough. The National Fire Protection Association has codes on handling ammonium nitrate, but it does not advise how to fight such fires because circumstances vary, said Guy Colonna, the division manager of the industrial and chemical engineering group.

Federal and state governments aren't much help either. Most of the rules governing the fertilizer are designed to ensure it doesn't end up in criminals' hands, especially after Timothy McVeigh used it in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
 ::snipping3::
Texas farm country is dotted with fertilizer plants in towns served by volunteer firefighters. But a 2009 blaze at the El Dorado Chemical Co. in Bryan, Texas, unfolded much differently than the disaster in West. Bryan firefighters knew a welder had accidentally heated up an ammonium nitrate bin and that the chemical was smoldering. They evacuated the area and let the facility burn to the ground. Nothing exploded.

It's too early to say whether that approach would have worked in West because no one knows for sure what caused the fire or what other substances were present. But the key to fighting the Bryan blaze was knowing the chemical involved and its risks, said Bryan Fire Marshal Marc McFeron.
 ::snipping3::
Texas farm country is dotted with fertilizer plants in towns served by volunteer firefighters. But a 2009 blaze at the El Dorado Chemical Co. in Bryan, Texas, unfolded much differently than the disaster in West. Bryan firefighters knew a welder had accidentally heated up an ammonium nitrate bin and that the chemical was smoldering. They evacuated the area and let the facility burn to the ground. Nothing exploded.

It's too early to say whether that approach would have worked in West because no one knows for sure what caused the fire or what other substances were present. But the key to fighting the Bryan blaze was knowing the chemical involved and its risks, said Bryan Fire Marshal Marc McFeron.

Volunteer fire companies operate on shoestring budgets and many rely on local emergency planning committees to keep them informed about potential chemical threats. In McLennan County, the committee had not held a full meeting since 2011, said Frank Patterson, the county's emergency operations coordinator.

And he had not read a report from the fertilizer company that outlined its chemical supply.

Texas does not require any training for volunteer fire companies, though most do so independently, said Chris Barron, executive director of the State Firemen's and Fire Marshal's Association. Often volunteer firefighters receive first-level certification that provides an overview of fire-suppression and rescue techniques.

At least 20 of West's 29 firefighters had such training, Barron said. It teaches that oxidizers such as ammonium nitrate "will accelerate burning when involved in a fire" and "may explode from heat or contamination."

In West, however, firefighters appeared to focus largely on the chemical with which they were most familiar — the anhydrous ammonia, a liquid fertilizer that has a risk of producing a toxic chemical cloud in an accident.

Doreen Strickland, president of the volunteer firefighters from nearby Abbott, pulled up to the plant as it exploded. One of her fire trucks was lifted in the air and slammed back down. Some of her men were inside, and she knew they had to be dead. At least three were killed. But she heard no one discuss ammonium nitrate ahead of the massive blast.

"Our main reason for evacuating at that time was because of the heat and intensity of the fire, and it was so close," Strickland said. The anhydrous ammonia "was a major concern."
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/News-8-Investigation-Few-in-Texas-follow-federal-chemical-preparedness-law-207443781.html
Few Texas counties follow federal chemical preparedness law
May 14, 2013

A statewide survey by News 8 has found a dramatic lack of compliance with a federal mandate that orders counties to operate a planning committee that helps anticipate and respond to emergencies at plants storing hazardous chemicals.   
Every county in Texas is required by the by the Environmental Protection Agency to have a Local Emergency Planning Committee, or LEPC, in place. These "serve as a focal point in the community for information and discussions about hazardous substance emergency planning,” according to the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act.
 ::snipping3::
A News 8 investigation analyzed what is billed as an active list of county LEPC coordinators, which is  published by the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
Of the 254 counties in Texas, spokespeople for 35 of them said their counties have active LEPC meetings at least once a year. Meanwhile, 41 emergency management coordinators either admit to not having or could not provide proof of an existing LEPC.

The vast majority — 190 counties — either had outdated contact information or chose not to respond to News 8. This includes McLennan County, the location where the West Fertilizer Company plant exploded on April 17, killing 15 people.
Again, the LEPC's role is "local planning for hazardous materials.” Residents in West who spoke to News 8 spoke said they had no idea explosive chemicals were located in their neighborhood.
"I've never known what was stored there, and I've lived here all my life,” said Willie Zahirniak, whose home in West was damaged by the blast.
Jim Moore, Director of Progress Texas PAC, said the lack of compliance with the law in Texas comes as no surprise.
"So for the EPA to mandate something, the state legislature, the governor’s office, even at the local level, they are just going to push back on it and maybe ignore it, which seems to be the case of what happened,” Moore said.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is charged with keeping track of the state's LEPCs and their membership. 
 ::snipping3::
State Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said the discovery of so many inactive LEPCs statewide is disturbing. 
"But there's no reason why we, the State of Texas, through the Division of Emergency Management, can't just ask of each LEPC, 'Did you meet this year? Is your plan up-to-date?’”
Pickett said he wants to return focus to LEPCs throughout Texas, and believes the Division of Emergency Management should play a more assertive role.
 ::snipping3::

INTERACTIVE: Locations of ammonium nitrate storage facilities in Texas

Locations of ammonium nitrate storage facilities in Texas
(Source: Texas Department of State Health Services)

Map by Matt Goodman / WFAA.com This interactive map shows the 122 locations statewide that Texas lists as storing more than 10,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate. The West Fertilizer Co. reportedly had more than 500,000 pounds of the chemical. This map by no means indicates that these plants are likely to explode –– it's simply a tool showing locations of storage and retail facilities. The Texas Tribune also has a similar map that shows the amount of chemicals each plant has and their proximity to schools, hospitals and other locations of interest.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/interactive/INTERACTIVE-locations-of-ammonium-nitrate-storage-facilities-in-texas-207449321.html

(Warning:  Gigantic photo of Bryce Reed if you open the link. )
http://m.wacotrib.com/mobile/news/courts_and_trials/grand-jury-indicts-former-west-paramedic-reed/article_4e22bdcd-3a99-5c78-bf8f-b10163ef8015.html
Grand jury indicts former West paramedic Reed
May 14,2013

A federal grand jury indicted a former West paramedic on a charge of possession of an unregistered firearm Tuesday, on the eve of a hearing that will determine whether he is released on bond or ordered to remain detained until his trial.
A criminal complaint against 31-year-old Bryce Ashley Reed, unsealed Friday and signed by a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, alleges Reed was in possession of materials that could be made into a pipe bomb.
Reed “vigorously denies” the possession of an unregistered destructive device charge for which he was arrested and will plead not guilty, according to his court-appointed attorney, Jonathan Sibley.
It was unclear Tuesday why Reed’s charge was changed to refer to a firearm, but the language in both the original complaint for which Reed was arrested and Tuesday’s indictment was 
identical.
 ::snipping3::
Sibley said he thinks Reed poses no danger and should be released on a reasonable bond because no evidence has linked Reed to the April 17 explosion at the West fertilizer plant.
Sibley also said he intends to call Reed’s parents as witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing.

 ::snipping3::

At least one education claim on the online resume — listing a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y. — has been disputed. A spokesman for the school, William Stewart, said Reed at one time started the application process for an associate’s degree but never enrolled at the school.
According to state health records, Reed became a certified paramedic in 2005.
His certification is intact, with no history of complaints or disciplinary action, according to Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services.
It appeared that Reed most recently worked as a paramedic at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
Hospital spokeswoman Kay Jackson said Reed joined the staff Jan. 7 but has been on leave since April 3. She could not provide further information about his employment, citing hospital policy.
And although Reed was previously a volunteer paramedic for West EMS, an email obtained by the Associated Press shows he was “let go” April 19, two days after the explosion.
Williams, the State Health Services spokeswoman, told the Associated Press last week that the agency had opened a regulatory investigation into Reed’s 
license.
 ::snipping3::

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/05/14/west-medical-director-awaits-cause-of-fertilizer-plant-explosion/
West Medical Director Awaits Cause Of Fertilizer Plant Explosion
May 14, 2013

WEST (CBS 11 NEWS) - Dr. George Smith credits God that he was able to get out from under the debris at the West nursing home minutes after the West Company fertilizer plant exploded.

Dr. Smith says, “That’s the way I look at it.  He said I had more work to do.”

Now, nearly one month later, state and federal investigators are set to announce Thursday what sparked the fire and subsequent explosion at the plant.

Dr. Smith has been the city’s medical director since he founded the EMS here 38 years ago.

“It’s going to be a relief to know what happened. There are people who blamed our firefighters who gave their life.”

Initially, some people thought the firefighters caused the blast by putting water on ammonium nitrate that was stored in the facility and blew up — but the state said nothing could be further from the truth.

Dr. Smith recalls the fiery blast.  “It happened just in a millisecond.  It’s hard to describe the force in that explosion.”

At the time, Dr. Smith was in the nursing home trying to move patients away from the side of the building that faces the plant.  “I was worried about the toxic smoke.”

He says he never realized there would be an explosion.  “I’m very proud to say 127 residents left the nursing home alive.”

None died there.
 ::snipping3::
Initially, Dr. Smith said they feared as many as 60-70 people may have died because they would be trapped in their homes.

But he says at the time of the explosion, many people were watching the fire from the street and were  slightly injured when they were knocked down, and not hit with falling debris.
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

Bryce Reed was formally indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday.  The charge in the indictment was possession of an unregistered firearm.  Reed's attorney Jonathon Sibley, said the charge is an umbrella term that can include explosives and that Reed will plead not guilty to the charge today at 2:00 p.m., at the federal courthouse in Waco.  There's no trial date set.

http://www.kcentv.com/story/22257653/bryce-reed-formally-charged-by-federal-grand-jury
Bryce Reed formally indicted by federal grand jury
May 15, 2013

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/detention-hearing-for-former-west-paramedic-postponed/article_526d71ea-c415-5f15-aff4-19950e95affe.html
Detention hearing for former West paramedic postponed
May 15, 2013

A detention hearing set for former West paramedic Bryce Ashley Reed has been postponed, his attorney said.
Reed was supposed to be in U.S. Magistrate Court at 2 p.m. Wednesday for formal arraignment and a detention hearing.
His attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said his client will waive arraignment and enter a not guilty plea with the court. The detention hearing is postponed indefinitely, he said.
Sibley declined additional comment Wednesday morning.
Reed, 31, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on a charge of possession of an unregistered firearm after his arrest last week for alleged possession of what authorities are calling materials to make a pipe bomb.
Reed will remain in custody until a detention hearing can be rescheduled.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kcentv.com/story/22261370/bryce-reeds-federal-court-appearance-cancelled
Bryce Reed's Federal Court Appearance Canceled
May 15, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Bryce Reed was scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Manske in the Waco Federal Court at 2 p.m. today.

The hearing was canceled due to an agreement between the defense and prosecution earlier today.

Reed has deferred his right to a detention hearing at a later date. He has also waived his arraignment and will plead not guilty.

He remains in federal custody.

So far, there is no evidence connecting Reed to the explosion at the West Fertilizer Plant.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/bryce-reed-emt-bomb-making-materials_n_3280629.html?#slide=2352983
Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion

Slide Show with 30 images.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/paramedic-at-deadly-blast-in-court-in-weapons-case/nXrZG/
Ex-EMT in Texas pleads not guilty to charges
May 15, 2013

WACO, Texas — A first responder who helped evacuate people ahead of a deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a charge he possessed bomb-making materials.
Bryce Reed was arrested last week and indicted Tuesday on a charge of possessing an unregistered firearm. Authorities have not announced any link between Reed and the April 17 blast in West, Texas, which killed 14 people.
Federal investigators allege Reed had materials for a pipe bomb that he gave to someone else. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in a court filing that other investigators told him Reed admitted to having the bomb parts.
Reed's attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said that he agreed with prosecutors to postpone a previously scheduled detention hearing, but would not comment on why. Reed remains in custody.
 ::snipping3::
Although Reed portrayed himself as a West EMT in the Baylor video and other public appearances after the explosion, he was in fact dismissed two days after the blast, records show.
Questions also have arisen about Bryce Reed's academic credentials and work history.
At least two of the educational institutions listed by Reed on his LinkedIn profile page — the University of Phoenix and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center — say they have no records of him being enrolled.
In an email to the Texas Department of State Health Services last Friday, Christine Reeves of the Heart of Texas Regional Advisory Council wrote that the West EMS administrator, Tom Marek, "asked that I contact you guys that Bryce Reed does not volunteer for West EMS" and was "let go" on April 19.
Marek declined to comment Wednesday. Reeves told the AP she wasn't informed of a reason for the dismissal.
Reed has been a licensed EMT since 2005 and has worked for at least one other agency, an air ambulance service, state records show. No complaints have been lodged against him, and no disciplinary action has been taken, the records show.
Carrie Williams, the spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said the agency initiated an investigation into Reed's license as a result of his arrest. Such investigations are standard procedure when the department learns that an EMT is charged with a felony, she said.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Paramedic-at-deadly-blast-in-court-in-weapons-case-207520611.html
Ex-EMT in Texas blast indicted on firearm charge
May 15, 2013

WACO, Texas -- A grand jury indicted Bryce Ashley Reed for possession of an unregistered firearm on Tuesday. A scheduled arraignment for him was canceled Wednesday afternoon.
Defense attorney Jonathan Sibley planned on asking the court to release 31-year-old Bryce Reed on bond Wednesday.
"I don't think there's any evidence to show he's a danger to the community. I think he served his community honorably," said Sibley.
But after meeting with prosecutors and reviewing statements and interviews Wednesday morning they decided to postpone the hearing instead.

"We reach agreements at the last second a lot of times. I can't really comment on the specific reasons why we decided to do it," Sibley told reporters outside of the federal courthouse in Waco. "It would have been great if we could have agreed to have him released. Obviously that would have been great but we reached some middle ground."
 ::snipping3::
The day after Reed's arrest, investigators launched a criminal investigation into the deadly plant explosion in West where Reed responded as an EMS worker.

"There's been some speculation. I think it's unfair, there's no evidence linking him," Sibley said. "I think that's why all of y'all are here because of what happened on April 17th. Not what Mr. Reed is actually accused of in this case."

Investigators say they won't speculate on whether the two cases are related, even the McLennan County sheriff told KVUE News that people are jumping to conclusions.
The ATF is planning to release the results of the investigation regarding the cause of the blast tomorrow.

"These are the results they need to tell us today," Sibley said. "I think it's time for a clear statement that if they think he had something to do with it then say that and show us what you have. I think our community deserves that. At the same time, if they don't have any evidence they need to come out and say something as well."
Officials say Reed lost his job as an EMT in the days following the explosion and county authorities initially charged him with possession of an explosive device. Sibley says the allegations against Reed remain the same.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Findings-expected-in-explosion-probe-4519758.php
Findings expected in explosion probe
May 15, 2013

 ::snipping3::
The State Fire Marshal's Office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are set to release results of a joint investigation less than a week after the Texas Rangers announced a criminal investigation.

On Friday, federal officials arrested West paramedic Bryce Ashley Reed, who was charged with possessing bomb-making materials. The Rangers' investigation also was announced that day, stirring speculation that the blast, which killed 15 people, injured 200 and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings, may have been planned.

Authorities have not directly linked Reed to the explosion. His lawyer, Jonathan Sibley of Waco, said in a statement Saturday that Reed “had no involvement whatsoever” in the blast and would plead not guilty to the explosives charge. Reed, one of the few emergency personnel who spoke to the media immediately after the blast, was dismissed by West EMS on April 19.

He deferred his right to a detention hearing Wednesday in Waco but is expected to enter a not guilty plea, and he remains in federal custody, Daryl Fields, public affairs officer with the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Antonio, said in a statement.

The Dallas Morning News reported this week that Reed's wife and young daughter had begun staying with relatives April 23, two days before Reed eulogized one of the 12 fallen first responders at a memorial service in Waco attended by President Barack Obama. The Reeds had been staying at a hotel in West after their duplex was damaged in the blast.
 ::snipping3::
Before Reed's arrest, the blast had been widely treated as the result of an industrial accident. But state and federal officials have not ruled out foul play.

The explosion also has put a spotlight on West Fertilizer Co., whose plant was left with a 93-foot-wide crater after the blast. In addition to inadequate security at the site, where more than 500,000 pounds of highly explosive fertilizer was stored, the investigation has revealed that the site lacked a fire-suppression sprinkler system.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/results-of-west-explosion-investigation-to-be-announced-on-thursday.html/
Results of West explosion investigation to be announced on Thursday
May 15, 2013

The Texas Department of Insurance says results of the joint investigation of the fire scene at the West Fertilizer Plant will be announced on Thursday at a 4 p.m. news conference  in the West High School parking lot.

The state fire marshal and ATF officials will attend.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.caller.com/news/2013/may/16/officials-give-west-texas-explosion-probe-results/
Officials to give West, Texas explosion probe results Thursday
May 16, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/IaQCcIt.jpg)
PHOTO BY SMILEY N. POOL

In this aerial photo, law enforcement and rescue personnel search the damage to an apartment complex from the explosion of the West Fertilizer plant on Thursday, April 18, 2013, in West, Texas. A massive explosion at the plant killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160, officials said overnight. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool)

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/207651881.html
For The First Time Since Explosion, West ISD School Board Members Tour Damaged Campuses
May 16, 2013

WEST (May 15, 2013)--It’s been a month since the West explosion rocked three of West ISD’s four campuses.

Since the blast, the school district is making steady progress towards reconstruction. At the end of April, they hired Huckabee Associates Inc. as their architecture firm.

After surveying the damage done by the West explosion, reps from Huckabee recommended to school board members that West Intermediate and West High School be demolished and rebuilt.

As for West Middle School, Huckabee says the old high school building and the gym can be salvaged, but that the rest should be bulldozed.

School board members are following through with Huckabee’s consultations.

As plans for demolition and reconstruction take form, school board members were given a tour during Wednesday night’s school board meeting for the first time of the damaged middle school, intermediate school, and high school.

Rebuilding the damaged campuses could cost over 110 million dollars.
More...

Video at Link

Folks faced the same problems with paying taxes on houses that were heavily damaged or destroyed by fires in Central Texas.  From what I understand, the taxes are set on the values as of Jan. 1.  It's difficult for folks that have lost so much, but then I don't know how the city will continue to operate without the income.  I hope there can be a solution.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/texas-fertilizer-explosion-victims-mood-pay-property-taxes/story?id=19176352
Texas Fertilizer Explosion Victims in No Mood to Pay Property Taxes
May 16, 2013

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/16/4861096/officials-to-give-texas-explosion.html
AP Sources: Crime not ruled out in Texas blast
BY NOMAAN MERCHANT AND JIM VERTUNO
Associated Press
May 16, 2013

WEST, Texas — Investigators have not ruled out criminal activity as the cause of a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant that killed at least 14 people and flattened part of a tiny Texas town, two officials familiar with the findings said Thursday.
 ::snipping3::
But they have not yet been able to pinpoint the cause, the officials said.

One state official who's seen a report on the probe and a second law enforcement official briefed on the findings told The Associated Press investigators are focused on a golf cart on the premises that had been recalled by its manufacturer, an electrical problem or possible criminal activity.

The state official said investigators were "light on definitive information" into the cause of the blast. The official declined to give more details until after authorities held a news conference to announce their findings.

The law enforcement official said the golf cart in question was sometimes parked at the place where the fire began, but investigators said they could not confirm the cart was parked there on the night of the blast.

Investigators had ruled out other possible causes, including smoking or a weather-related fire, the law enforcement official said.

"Science just takes you so far in this," the law enforcement official said. "And that's all you can do."

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because briefings were ongoing and they did not want to speak publicly before a scheduled news conference by state and federal authorities.

Officials have determined that ammonium nitrate exploded, but they do not know what started the initial fire or caused the explosion.
 ::snipping3::
The fire marshal's office had previously ruled out several possible causes for the initial fire, including another fertilizer stored on site, anhydrous ammonia; a rail car on the site that was carrying ammonium nitrate; and a fire within a storage bin of ammonium nitrate.

Daniel Keeney, a spokesman for Adair Grain Co., which owned and operated West Fertilizer, has said the company is cooperating with authorities, but declined to comment further.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/16/4861096/officials-to-give-texas-explosion.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Investigators-List-3-Possible-Causes-Of-Deadly-West-Explosion-207728311.html
Investigators List 3 Possible Causes Of Deadly West Explosion
May 16, 2013

WEST (May 16, 2013)—The State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will announce the results of their weeks-long investigation of the deadly April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co. later Thursday, but an official confirmed to News 10 that they have identified three possible causes.

Investigators determined that the fire that led to the powerful explosion was caused either by a battery that combusted on a golf cart at the plant site, a 120-volt electrical line on the concrete floor of the fertilizer and seed building, or by an intentional criminal act, the official said.

Investigators will officially list the cause as undetermined, the official said.

Officials have scheduled a news conference for late Thursday afternoon in West to announce the results.

Earlier in the afternoon, they briefed West city officials and met with family members of the victims of the explosion.

Last week State Fire Marshal's Office spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said investigators had determined that ammonium nitrate stored at the plant is what exploded, but not what touched off the ammonium nitrate.
 ::snipping3::
Moreno said a spot that is now a 90-foot-wide crater was where the ammonium nitrate was stored.

Investigators ruled out several possible causes of the initial fire at the plant that led to the explosion that killed 15, injured about 200, damaged or destroyed scores of homes and buildings including three of West's four schools and a nursing home.

"Weather, natural, anhydrous ammonium, the rail car containing ammonium nitrate, and a fire within the ammonium nitrate bin" all have been eliminated as possible causes, the Texas Department of Insurance said in a statement last week.

"Additionally, water used during firefighting activities did not contribute to the cause of the explosion," the department said.

"The investigation has revealed, to date, that the origin of the fire was in the fertilizer and seed building," the insurance department said.

Investigators are trying to pinpoint the exact location, the department said.
 ::snipping3::
On Friday, the Department of Public Safety announced that DPS Director Steven McCraw had directed the Texas Rangers to join the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office in launching a criminal investigation of the blast.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-explosion-investigation-20130516,0,6362599.story
Cause of Texas fertilizer plant blast unclear; inquiry continues
May 16, 2013

The cause of the fire that triggered the deadly explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, last month remains undetermined after a $1-million investigation, officials said Thursday. Although the probe continues, the cause of the disaster may never be known.

An estimated 28 to 34 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded in two stages, separated by a fraction of a second, according to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office. Debris flew up to 2 1/2 miles and the damage extended across a 37-block area.

Although the investigation eliminated some potential causes of the disaster, ATF agent Robert Champion said, several possibilities remain:

*A failure in the plant’s 120-volt electrical system.
*Arson.
*A battery-powered golf cart parked near the origin of the fire.

Officials refused to comment on whether a West paramedic who was arrested weeks after the conflagration on suspicion of possessing bomb-making materials had been cleared of involvement. But the blaze and the resulting explosion remain a criminal investigation, they said.

At a news conference in the parking lot of West’s now badly damaged high school, Champion said several possible causes had been eliminated:

*That a fire earlier in the day had reignited. Champion said there had not been an earlier fire.
*The plant’s 480-volt electrical system for heavy machinery.
*Smoking.
*The weather.

Kelly Kistler, lead investigator for the state fire marshal, said the conflagration raised the temperature of the ammonium nitrate, subjecting it to increased pressure, then some "impact" triggered the explosion.  A spokeswoman for the office said that impact remained under investigation, but it could have come from a structure that collapsed because of the fire.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/16/us/texas-explosion-probe/index.html
Cause of catastrophic Texas explosions remains mystery
May 16, 2013

(CNN) -- Investigators have not ruled out an intentional fire being behind explosions at a fertilizer plant in the small town of West that left 15 people dead, the Texas fire marshal said Thursday.
State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said investigators were unable to rule out three possible causes, including a spark from a golf cart, an electrical short or an intentionally set fire.
"The cause cannot be proven to an acceptable level," Connealy told reporters.
Investigators said the incident was actually two simultaneous blasts triggered by the fire. The blasts, which registered on seismographs as a magnitude 2.1 earthquake and was felt 50 miles away, caused damage to a 37-block area of the town.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/results-expected-in-west-fertilizer-blast-inquiry
Cause of West blast undetermined
Investigators unable to pinpoint cause, they say
May 16, 2013

 ::snipping3::

But they could not say with certainty what caused a fire on April 17 inside the seed and fertilizer building at West Fertilizer Co., in West, a tiny Texas town previously known for its Czech bakeries and heritage. Kelly Kistner, the Texas assistant state fire marshal, said the fire caused stored ammonium nitrate to change states, while also causing debris in the wooden building to begin to fall.

The blast was actually two explosions: a small one that occurred about 20 minutes after the fire was reported, followed by a larger one a split second later, Kistner said. About 28 to 34 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in the plant exploded. Another 20 to 30 tons stored on site, along with a rail car carrying 100 tons of ammonium nitrate, did not explode, officials said.

The power of the blast was equivalent to 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of TNT.

Among the dead were 10 first responders and two people who had joined into fight the fire. The blast registered as a small earthquake and left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep. It destroyed an apartment building, homes and parts of schools nearby.

"I don't recall a (similar) tragedy of recent times in Texas — certainly one of the worst in American history with first responders," said Chris Connealy, the state fire marshal, at a press conference in the parking lot of nearby West High School, which was severely damaged.

The golf cart was parked in the room where investigators believe the blast began, officials said. The golf cart's batteries hold a charge and when they fail, they can ignite the materials around them, officials said. They found two pieces of the cart: a brake pad and the axle.

As part of their site investigation, officials tried to reconstruct part of one building on the plant site with debris and as much of the power systems as they could. They were able to rule out a higher-voltage electrical system used at the plant.

Officials have ruled out the possibility that the blast was an act of terror, but not that it was a crime. They refused Thursday to take questions on the arrest of Bryce Reed, a West paramedic who responded to the blast but was arrested weeks later with what authorities said were materials for a pipe bomb. The Texas Rangers, a state investigative agency, and the local county sheriff's office opened their own criminal investigation after his arrest.
 ::snipping3::
Rachel Moreno, a spokeswoman for the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office, said the death toll had officially reached 15 with the determination by a local justice of the peace that an elderly man who died after being evacuated from the nursing home had been an explosion-related death. The nursing home's medical director previously had said the man died of his pre-existing ailments.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Dave-Matthews-Band-Donates-100000-to-West-Recovery-207589561.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DFWBrand
Dave Matthews Band Donates $100,000 to West Recovery
May 15, 2013

The charitable arm of the Dave Matthews Band, Bama Works, has donated $100,000 to the West, Texas Disaster Relief Fund.
 ::snipping3::
The Dave Matthews Band, who performs Saturday in Dallas, isn't the only musician to make a contribution to the devastated town.  On Tuesday, it was announced that Texan Willie Nelson donated $121,000 to recovery efforts -- $81,000 directly to the West Volunteer Fire Department and another $40,000 to his hometown of Abbott, which had a truck destroyed in the blast.

Additionally, country singer Tracey Lawrence will take part in concert this summer that will benefit volunteer fire departments, like the one in West, that are desperately in need of money.

The Waco Foundation's website said that, as of May 14, donations totaled $545,000, though that total did not include the donation made by Bama Works.

On May 1, the Waco Foundation's West Disaster Relief Efforts Fund was voted to be the designated recipient of all charitable donations. Anyone who would like to donate to the Waco Foundation West Disaster Relief Fund can do so here.
 ::snipping3::

Link to Waco Foundation's West Disaster Relief Efforts Fund:
https://www.wacofoundation.org/tabid/174/default.aspx?tp=1000&fn=west%2c+texas+disaster+relief+efforts+fund

(Donors will have the ability to designate funds to the general fund, residents or firefighters.

http://www.usfra.org/forum2/topics/u-s-chemical-safety-board-root-cause-investigation-of-west-explos?xg_source=activity
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Root-Cause Investigation of West Explosion Continues; Board to Examine Ammonium Nitrate Storage, Siting, Fire Protection, and Preparedness Issues
Posted by Lt. Traycee B. on May 17, 2013 at 2:04pm in US Chemical Safety Board

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130516-analysis-west-fertilizer-report-details-sequence-of-a-catastrophe.ece
Analysis: West Fertilizer report details sequence of a catastrophe
May 16, 2013

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130516-victims-families-west-residents-resigned-to-not-knowing-blasts-cause.ece
Victims’ families, West residents resigned to not knowing blast’s cause
May 16, 2013

WEST — Phil Calvin kept the news in perspective that the cause of the April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co. remains undetermined.
“My son and those other people are gone. Nothing’s going to bring them back,” he said Thursday. “We’ve all just got to move on, however that is.”
Perry Calvin, 37, was one of the 12 first responders among the 15 fatalities. Told that investigators had narrowed, but not determined, what caused the fire that triggered the blast, his father said he was disappointed but not shocked.
“I’m not surprised they couldn’t nail it down with all the devastation there,” said Calvin, chief of the Navarro Mills Volunteer Fire Department.
 ::snipping3::
For now, he and his family will help Perry’s wife, Becky, and the couple’s two sons deal with the loss. They will help her with the birth and care of a third child due by year’s end.
 ::snipping3::

A Sorry Situation

Perry’s identity was stolen after his death and used to establish cellphone service in the Houston area, his father said, a sorry situation that has added to his wife’s troubles.
Perry Calvin, who served with his dad in the Navarro Mills fire department, was in an emergency medical training class in West on April 17 when a fire alarm sounded. He and two classmates died after responding to the fire.
“He was a hell of a man to go in there and do what he did,” said his father. “He didn’t have family in the town.”
West volunteer firefighter Jimmy Matus also died while responding to the fire
Earlier this week, his mother, Lillian Matus, said, “We’re taking it a day at a time. We’ve got other children. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”
Told on Thursday that a possible setting of the fire was still being investigators, she said she wasn’t surprised: “We’ve had so much mischief in West.”
And she wasn’t interested in saying anything else: “I just can’t take it anymore.”
The family of Cody Dragoo, a West firefighter who also worked at the plant, didn’t want to talk about the investigation report, said Daniel “Danny” Mynar, a cousin of Dragoo’s widow, Patty.
“Everybody is slowly healing,” he said. “They just want to get on with their lives. And be left alone.”
Doreen Strickland, president of the Abbott Volunteer Fire Department, said Thursday’s announcement confirmed that firefighters weren’t to blame for the tragedy.
 ::snipping3::
Her department lost two firefighters in West and has been offered specialists to evaluate her eight remaining volunteers’ post-trauma stress and fitness for duty.
“Ours are doing pretty well,” she said. “We have a few who are shaken up, but they are working through it.”
More...

http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/05/17/4866297/reunions-of-owners-pets-a-bright.html
Reunions of owners, pets a bright spot in Granbury tornado recovery
May 17, 2013

 ::snipping3::
When the Hernandez family left their shattered house in the Rancho Brazos Estates subdivision in a panic Wednesday night, they were separated from 4-year-old Rambo, part Rottweiler, part blue heeler.

Friday, Amanda and Alfonso Hernandez and their three children went to the Hood County Animal Control facility. No Rambo.

They traveled across Granbury to a temporary animal shelter on Acton Circle. Shortly after 4 p.m., 2-year-old Steven Hernandez planted a kiss on Rambo’s wet nose.

“We’re relieved,” Amanda Hernandez said. “That’s one less thing we are going to have to worry about.”

The twister destroyed their home, and they are staying in a hotel with the help of their church.

Rambo was one of an estimated 100 animals the Humane Society of North Texas dealt with this week after the tornadoes, said Shelly Meeks, assistant shelter manager. Rescue workers found dogs, cats, goats, chickens, roosters, birds and guinea pigs. The animals were briefly moved to Fort Worth while the temporary shelter was organized, she said.

Late Friday afternoon, 35 animals were left at the shelter where Rambo was found, said Sgt. Kelly McNamb of Hood County Animal Control.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-isd-insurance-policy-would-cover-half-of-its-explosion/article_9f4d9915-37ca-59d5-bfd8-27b2238dbf7e.html
West ISD insurance policy would cover half of its explosion damage
May 19, 2013

The West school district’s maximum insurance benefit would 
only cover about half of the estimated $117.4 million long-term fix proposed to renovate or replace campuses and furnishings damaged in the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. 
explosion.
West has a $60 million policy through insurance provider Trident and its parent company, Argo Group.
West Independent School District Superintendent Marty Crawford said adjusters are working with engineers the school district hired, deciding what structures could be salvaged instead of torn down before determining the final settlement award.
West’s intermediate and high schools will have to be demolished and rebuilt, while some buildings at the middle school must be torn down, according to a recent report to the West ISD school board.
The district hopes to complete the work in two phases during the next two years and is looking for insurance help to kick-start the projects.
Possible FEMA aid
Crawford said the district is banking on aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the rest of the school construction costs. But to receive assistance, the district and city of West first have to prove they sustained $34 million in damage beyond what insurance covers.
Crawford said he hopes a settlement will be reached with insurance adjusters in the next week.
The district, city and McLennan County will submit a joint FEMA application for aid. Crawford said there’s not a set limit on how much the district could receive from FEMA, but an award decision is not expected for another four to seven 
months.
More...

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130518-in-west-investigators-focus-shifts-from-explosions-cause-to-closing-safety-gaps.ece
In West, investigators’ focus shifts from explosion’s cause to closing safety gaps
May 18, 2013

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-blast-reveals-emergency-planning-weaknesses/article_d9156421-3533-560f-b60c-caca21a77db6.html
West blast reveals emergency planning weaknesses
May 19, 2013


http://www.wacotrib.com/mclennan-county-emergency-planning-map/pdf_c0d48630-c078-11e2-9d86-0019bb2963f4.html

McLennan County emergency planning map
A countywide map of major chemical hazards included in an appendix to the 2012 McLennan County Emergency Plan doesn’t include West Fertilizer at all.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/safety-board-atf-blocking-plant-blast-probe-19229612
Safety Board: ATF Blocking Plant Blast Probe
May 22, 2013

Federal agents and the state fire marshal have effectively barred a federal safety panel from the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others, hampering its investigation, the panel's chairman said.

In a May 17 letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso asked the California Democrat to help the board obtain evidence under control of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that he contends is essential to the board's investigation, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Austin American-Statesman reported.

"To date, the CSB has experienced significant obstacles that potentially compromise and delay our ability to complete the 'comprehensive investigation' that you have rightly demanded, and that we would very much like to produce," he wrote to Boxer. The chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has said she planned to hold hearings into the April 17 West Fertilizer explosion.

A criminal investigation "comes with certain sensitivities. You need to keep it to law enforcement only," Robert Champion, ATF special agent in charge of the investigation told the American-Statesman. He also said the decision to bar the CSB from the site was made by the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Fire Marshal's Office spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said the CSB was kept out because criminal investigators were executing search warrants. "We have to protect evidence," she told the American-Statesman. "We need to have one report, one set of interviews; it all has to be clear cut."
 ::snipping3::
In his letter, Moure-Eraso said the board sent 18 investigators and other experts to West within 24 hours of the blast. At the same time, ATF "assumed essential exclusive control of the incident site" with the State Fire Marshal's Office, he wrote.

"These criminal investigators have exercised exclusive control of the site for a full one-month period ... and have altered or removed almost all relevant physical evidence at the site," he wrote.

ATF and the State Fire Marshal's Office "consistently expressed the position that CSB was not permitted to conduct separate interviews, prepare expert analysis or author its own independent report," he wrote. ATF and the state fire marshal "state that because in their view this was exclusively a criminal investigation, there could be only one version of what occurred and one report."

On May 16, representatives of the State Fire Marshal's Office announced that the joint criminal investigation left the cause of a fire precipitating the blast as "undetermined."
More...

http://www.yourglenrosetx.com/news/community/article_63518547-fa86-5485-9fdd-0d6d4b98ef91.html
BENEFIT
Rallying behind West explosion victims
GR fundraiser set for Sunday to support family blinded by incident
May 22, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/Y274rh0.jpg)
Contributed
Matus
Three members of the Matus family, residents of the city of West, were seriously injured in the April explosion at West Fertilizer Company

 ::snipping3::
Deidre and Steve Matus and their six-year-old grandson, Brayden, were seriously injured and their home was destroyed. The family was inside their home, a short distance from West Fertilizer Company, when the plant exploded, devastating the city.
Deidre is the daughter of Charline Griffith, who is employed at GRMC.
The family was standing at a window inside their home, observing the fire at the fertilizer plant when the distaster occurred.
“They were looking out the window when it exploded,” Michael Honea, GRMC chief financial officer, said, adding shards of glass and debris impacted with each of their faces.
Deidra has gone through several surgeries and remains under medical care at a rehabilitation facility in the Waco area. She lost vision in both eyes and has undergone extensive cosmetic surgery to repair damage to her face.
Her husband and grandson have been released from inpatient care, but both are expected to undergo additional surgeries. Steve was left with partial sight in one eye and is blind in the other. Brayden has undergone five surgeries and has partial sight in both eyes, according to Honea.
This weekend’s benefit — organized by Griffith’s friends and co-workers — will be held 2-8 p.m. in the medical center parking lot. The event will feature three live bands, a hamburger cookout, a bounce house for children and more in an effort to raise funds.
More...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fire-marshals-office-panel-blast-site-access-19238651
Fire Marshal's Office: Panel Had Blast Site Access
May 22, 2013

The State Fire Marshal's Office says a federal safety panel's investigators had access to the site of a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people and injured about 200 others.

The chairman of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board had asked for congressional help in obtaining evidence under the control of the state agency and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

However, in a statement issued Wednesday, the state agency said the CSB was given access to the scene, worked with other agencies during excavations and neighborhood surveys, and collected its own chemical samples with ATF assistance.

 ::snipping3::

In a statement Wednesday, CSB spokeswoman Hillary Cohen said the board has been denied access to the site since May 13.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/state-fire-marshal-s-office-says-csb-had-access-to/article_565cbf66-d44e-51bd-b5dd-0f26aec72a50.html
State Fire Marshal’s Office says CSB had access to West explosion site
May 22, 2013

The 30 agencies that responded to the West explosion agreed to abide by a protocol before the investigation began, and only the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board did not comply, a spokeswoman for the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Wednesday.
Responding to criticism from CSB chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso about how officials from the SFMO and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives controlled access to the site, the SFMO said their investigators tried to “fully cooperate” with the CSB despite their breach of protocol.
Moure-Eraso complained in a May 17 letter to U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., that his agency’s investigation into the April 17 explosion was potentially compromised and delayed because the ATF and SFMO virtually shut out his investigators, at least initially, from the blast site.
Moure-Eraso’s letter to Boxer, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, made public the apparent rift between CSB investigators and those from the SFMO and the ATF, who jointly led the investigation.
In a statement released Wednesday, SFMO officials say the investigation has, and continues to be, an active criminal investigation, which they said takes priority over all other investigations.
“The multiple agencies involved in the investigation all agreed upon a single protocol prior to the beginning of the investigation,” the fire marshal’s statement said. “All agencies, except CSB, operated within the protocol. Nevertheless, the SFMO and ATF attempted to fully cooperate with CSB.”
The fire marshal’s office said CSB officials were provided access to the scene, contrary to Moure-Eraso’s complaints to Boxer. CSB investigators worked with SFMO and ATF agents during excavation operations and neighborhood documentation activities, the statement says.
CSB officials also collected their own chemical samples, according to SFMO officials.
“No evidence was destroyed or compromised. A personal tour of the scene was also provided by SFMO and ATF to CSB Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso,” the statement said.
The ATF, meanwhile, released a statement late Wednesday stating, “ATF and the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) are working in concert on the investigation of the explosion and fire that occurred on April 17, 2013, at the West Fertilizer Plant in Texas. ATF’s National Response Team’s primary goal when called upon by a state or local agency for assistance is to determine the origin and cause of a fire or explosion.” The statement continued to say multiple state and agencies are investigating “the incident as a potential crime, and are processing the scene accordingly. The investigation at the West Fertilizer Plant continues to be an active criminal investigation, which takes priority over all other investigations.”
Maure-Eraso, though, previously said ATF agents restricted CSB access to the scene and prohibited CSB investigators from interviewing witnesses for three weeks, calling it “an unprecedented and harmful delay.”
More...

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2013/05/22/atf-accused-of-blocking-investigation-of-west-explosion/
ATF Accused Of Blocking Investigation Of West Explosion
May 22, 2013

WEST (CBSDFW.COM) – The ATF is under fire.

It’s among the lead agencies investigating the fire and explosion at the West Fertilizer Company plant that killed 15 people last month.

Agents from another organization looking into the blast accuse the ATF of interfering and delaying their investigation.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board is required by federal statute to conduct investigations into chemical industrial accidents.

Now, the board is asking for the Senate’s help in doing its job after what it describes as the ATF’s intimidation and delay tactics. The Board hopes to prevent what happened in West from ever happening again. But the Board chairman, Rafael Moure-Eraso tells me his team has been blocked from doing its work by another federal agency, the ATF, which headed the primary criminal investigation into the blast. “It’s going to be harder, it’s going to be a lot harder, and it didn’t need to be that way, that’s the problem.”

Moure-Eraso sent this strongly worded letter to U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee which may hold hearings on the explosion.

Moure-Eraso says the ATF actually turned away two board members, Presidential appointees, from the scene.

In his letter, he called it “an unprecedented and harmful delay”.

Moure-Eraso says, “We are especially interested in this place because the size of destruction that happened in a community is unprecedented.”

In fact, Moure-Eraso claims the Chemical Safety Board wasn’t allowed to conduct its first interview with a plant employee until nearly three weeks after the blast. And he says even that was interrupted by more overreach on the part of ATF. “There were three armed guards who decended over him, and said you have to come with us, we still need to talk to you, and we never saw this person again until four hours later.”

During a news conference last week, the ATF and State Fire Marshal were asked if they would turn over their findings and evidence to the Chemical Safety Board.

Assistant state fire marshal Kelly Kistner said, “We will not at this time. This is an on-going criminal investigation, and that information will remain protected under the applicable laws.” When asked if he tried calling the ATF to try to resolve this, Moure-Eraso said, “We did try to get into contact with the director of the ATF, here in Washington, but unfortunately, we didn’t get an answer from them.”

So what does the ATF say about all this? The agency declined comment.
More...

It's really a shame and one heck of a waste to see agencies fight.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/24/us-usa-explosion-texas-agencies-idUSBRE94N00X20130524
Row between U.S. agencies over Texas plant explosion deepens
May 23, 2013

(Reuters) - A dispute between government agencies over the investigation into the deadly explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant intensified on Thursday when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives hit back after being criticized by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB).

The board's allegations that its investigation into the causes of the April 17 tragedy was hindered by the ATF or the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office is a misrepresentation of what actually occurred, the ATF said.

The CSB was not barred by the ATF from the explosion scene in the town of West, and the ATF did not destroy evidence, as CSB officials suggested, said Rich Marianos, assistant director of the ATF's office of public and governmental affairs.

Earlier in the week, the CSB said the ATF and the State Fire Marshal's Office were preventing the CSB from discovering what caused the explosion that killed 14 people. The Texas agency shot back the next day, accusing the CSB of not being a team player and reminding the CSB that the fire marshal's criminal investigation takes priority over all other probes.

"For them to inaccurately report the facts that transpired is extremely disappointing and disrespectful," the ATF's Marianos said. "We believe the unified command structure and all the investigators did an extremely professional job."

At its heart, the dispute pivots on the friction that can be created when an agency charged with finding the cause of an explosion needs to work alongside investigators pursuing possible criminal wrong-doing.

The CSB is an independent federal agency responsible for investigating industrial-chemical accidents. The ATF is a criminal investigative federal agency under the Department of Justice.

FAMILIAR BATTLE

The dispute is hardly unique. For decades various federal and state agencies have competed with each other for supremacy over the investigations into transportation and industrial disasters.
 ::snipping3::
The State Fire Marshal's Office released a statement Wednesday saying the CSB refused to join an agreement that 30 other state and federal agencies investigating the West explosion all agreed to.

Officials at the Fire Marshal's Office did not return calls over the past three days to answer additional questions.

Daniel Horowitz, the CSB's managing director, said his agency could not accept the terms of the agreement because it prohibited the CSB from releasing an independent report detailing the cause of the accident.

Additionally, witnesses are more likely to talk to CSB investigators, who are prohibited from pursuing a criminal investigation, unlike the ATF, Horowitz told Reuters on Thursday by telephone.

The State Fire Marshal's Office said that while its criminal investigation takes precedence over all other investigations, the CSB was not denied access to the scene or to witnesses.

CURSORY ACCESS ALLEGED

Horowitz said access was little more than an hour-long "ceremonial" tour of the site.

"This was not comparable to in-depth site access and evidence collection for our investigators and experts, which would be a multi-week or month process," he said.

CSB could have had access to the investigative materials put together by the joint investigative team, including the ATF and CSB, ATF's Mariano said.

The ATF investigators assigned to West are among the most experienced in the world, and have investigated hundreds of explosions, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta in 1996, Marianos said. Even though the CSB disagreed with some techniques, like the ATF's use of heavy equipment, Mariano said the investigation was methodical.

"The ATF is correct," said U.S. Representative Bill Flores, of Texas. "I don't know what the deal is with the CSB."

CSB is the only agency involved that has not played with the rest of the team, Flores said.

"I would like for the CSB to adjust its request so it can work with everyone else," he said. "Why does the CSB have to have their own interviews?"

The investigative approach of an independent agency like the CSB and the NTSB are different than criminal investigators, Hall said.

But investigative agencies should never be in a position where they are stepping on one another, he said.

"They've got to sit down and work this out," Hall said.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/former-west-emt-reed-will-undergo-mental-health-evaluation/article_601d2f51-41e1-5b5f-a5a4-9a9c3f05c450.html
Former West EMT Reed will undergo mental health evaluation
May 22, 2013

A judge Tuesday ordered the former West paramedic indicted on charges he possessed bomb-making components to undergo a mental health evaluation at a federal prison medical facility.
Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, will remain in the McLennan County Jail until the federal Bureau of Prisons makes arrangements for him to be transferred to a facility, probably one in Springfield, Mo., for psychiatric review, a source with knowledge of the situation said Tuesday.
U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske signed a sealed order Tuesday directing Reed to be evaluated for competency, sanity and overall mental condition, the source said.
Reed, who has said he helped evacuate West residents near the West Fertilizer Co. plant before the April 17 explosion, has been in federal custody since his May 9 arrest by ATF agents on a charge of possession of an unregistered explosive device.
He waived a detention hearing scheduled for last week after his attorney, Jonathan Sibley, and federal prosecutors reached what Sibley described as “some middle ground.”
Sibley declined comment Tuesday about Reed’s impending psychological evaluation.
 ::snipping3::
County records indicate Reed has had jail visits from his mother, his father, his wife and a mental health caseworker.
Reed’s arrest for possession of what federal authorities described as the makings for a small pipe bomb sparked widespread speculation that he might be involved in the tragedy at West.
Sibley has said Reed had nothing to do with setting the fire or causing the explosion that killed 15 and injured 200 and has challenged federal authorities to set the record straight about whether they have evidence to link Reed to the explosion.
 ::snipping3::
Frazier said last week that federal authorities “would not speculate” if there is evidence to connect Reed to the explosion.
He is charged only with possession of an unregistered firearm and faces up to 10 years in federal prison, if convicted.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Tenth-Lawsuit-Filed-Over-West-Fertilizer-Plant-Explosion-208833701.html
Tenth Lawsuit Filed Over West Fertilizer Plant Explosion
May 24, 2013

WACO (May 24, 2013)--A tenth lawsuit was filed Wednesday in a state district court naming West Fertilizer Company and its owner in connection with the April 17 fire and explosion that left 15 dead, more than 200 injured and scores of homes destroyed.

McLennan County District Clerk's Office records show Jaquelina S. Rivera, et al, has filed a lawsuit in 170th District Court against Adair Grain Company and its owner.

Rivera joins nine other suits that seek damages against the fertilizer company and its owner in the wake of the deadly explosion.
More...

http://watchdogblog.dallasnews.com/2013/05/chemical-safety-board-says-we-are-not-backing-away-from-west-investigation-plans-to-survey-explosion-scene-next-week.html/
Chemical Safety Board says ‘we are not backing away’ from West investigation, plans to survey explosion scene next week
May 25, 2013


A federal safety agency will access the West Fertilizer Co. plant property next week, as it continues investigating what breakdowns may have contributed to the explosion that killed 15 people and flattened hundreds of structures in the tiny farm town.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s managing director, Daniel Horowitz, said it is pulling away some staff from the blast scene, because that’s typical at this stage of any investigation and the remains have “limited or no evidentiary value” after four weeks of excavation by other agencies. Law enforcement officials said last week they were making similar on-site adjustments.

“But we are not backing away from the case as a whole,” Horowitz told The Dallas Morning News.
More....

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130525-mclennan-county-could-have-adopted-fire-code-before-west-explosion-but-may-not-have-known.ece
McLennan County could have adopted fire code before West explosion but may not have known
May 25, 2013, Updated May 26, 2013

WEST — McLennan County could have implemented a fire code that some experts say may have prevented the fatal explosions at the West Fertilizer Co.
Although Texas law prohibits many small counties from adopting such codes, McLennan is not among them. The county became eligible, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, after the 2010 census when the population of an adjacent county, Bell, exceeded 250,000.
But McLennan County didn’t act, perhaps because officials didn’t know they had the option.

 ::snipping3::
Much more...

ww.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Starting-over-in-West-209424471.html
West begins demolishing homes too damaged to repair
May 29, 2013

Video at Link

http://www.policymic.com/articles/44945/west-fertilizer-plant-explosion-even-after-tragedy-texas-still-bans-fire-codes-in-70-of-its-counties
West Fertilizer Plant Explosion: Even After Tragedy, Texas Still Bans Fire Codes in 70% of its Counties
May 30, 2013

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130529-bill-providing-tax-relief-on-homes-destroyed-in-west-blast-awaits-perry-s-signature.ece
Bill providing tax relief on homes destroyed in West blast awaits Perry's signature
Published May 29, 2013, Updated May 30, 2013

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/209500521.html
EPA: Chemical at center of West blast not 'extremely hazardous'
May 30, 2013

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Terror-fears-keep-toxic-plants-hidden-from-public-209497821.html
Terror fears keep toxic plants hidden from public
May 30, 2013

http://www.news-journal.com/news/nation/report-finds-some-facilities-keep-explosive-chemicals-secret/article_3a4a0bf6-b473-580c-8d1e-6da823d4fdd0.html
Report finds some facilities keep explosive chemicals secret
May 31, 2013

WASHINGTON — Fears of terrorism have made it harder than ever for citizens to find out what dangerous chemicals lurk in their backyards, The Associated Press has found. Secrecy and shoddy record-keeping have kept the public and emergency workers in the dark about stockpiles of explosive material.
A monthlong reporting effort by the AP, drawing upon public records in 28 states, found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the sick. But how many others exist nationwide is a mystery, as other states refused to provide data.
More...

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/damaged-west-homes-could-get-tax-relief/article_b17f139a-7a8b-53e0-94ef-e4e95499649f.html
Damaged West homes could get tax relief
Posted May 31, 2013, Updated June 1, 2013

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/west-battling-donor-fatigue-in-recovery-efforts/article_fa07b1dd-dfbe-5d3c-9b6a-b6ef0aca1896.html
West battling ‘donor fatigue’ in recovery efforts
June 3, 2013

http://www.govexec.com/management/2013/06/despite-turf-fight-chemical-board-continues-probe-texas-explosion/64130/
Despite Turf Fight, Chemical Board Continues Probe of Texas Explosion
June 3, 2013

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Woman-trapped-after-West-explosion-gets-a-chance-to-thank-her-rescuers-210192641.html
Woman trapped after West explosion gets a chance to thank her rescuers
June 5, 2013

WACO, Texas -- Misty Lambert lights up as she plays with her four-year-old son, Nikoda.

They are life's little rewards, and they are moments Lambert will never take for granted.

"We are going to live every day like it's our last, and love every day like it's our last," she said. 
 ::snipping3::
Seven weeks ago, she nearly lost her life in the West Fertilizer Company explosion.

The blast destroyed her apartment. Misty was inside, trapped in the rubble. An hour later, and minutes from giving up, her rescuers arrived.

"They rewarded me with my second chance at life," said the mother of five. "They gave me hope, and I didn't have any."

 ::snipping3::
For the first time, she met the men who pulled her out of the debris, volunteer firefighter Billy Brown and fire chief Scott Garner, both from the Leroy-Axtell Fire Department. Brown works for L3 Communications in Waco, and Garner is also a professional firefighter for the Waco Fire Department.

"It's very rewarding to know that someone I don't know is given a second chance by something we've done as volunteers," Brown said.

It's the first time these firefighters meet someone they saved. 

"This one is going to be at the top," Chief Garner said. "'Cause in 16 years, I have never done anything like it. I never have seen the destruction I saw in West, never had patients like I did in West, and I have never had one, like Misty, that survived."
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/hundreds-seek-fema-help-since-west-plant-blast
Hundreds seek FEMA help since West plant blast
$6.5 million in federal aid approved so far
June 6, 2013

http://www.khou.com/news/texas-news/210674581.html
'Fertilizer makes flowers': Graduating West seniors reflect on life since explosion
June 8, 2013

WACO, Texas -- Graduates are often told that their graduation day is the first day of the rest of their lives, but in West, Texas, that day truly came in April.

Fifteen people died April 17, when the fertilizer plant exploded just a few blocks north of the high school. The Class of 2013 spent the final few weeks of school in another building, in another town, getting another kind of education.

"Over the last six or seven weeks, the life lessons they've learned will probably go further than any sixth grade spelling test," said Wayne Leek, principal of West High.

The senior year for a class of 118 became a year of loss, and a year of gains. They gained a new appreciation of life.

"It's awful and beautiful at the same time," said senior class president Chris Taylor. "You really get to grow even closer than you already are, and most of us have been here 12 years straight."

One graduating senior worked at the nursing home that was destroyed, and at graduation Friday night at Baylor University's Ferrell Center, he wore a remembrance on his cap.

"The last few weeks have been tough and the hard times aren't over, but fertilizer makes flowers," valedictorian Zoe Rankin told her classmates.

There was mention of what happened April 17, but their graduation really focused on what the students did right.

"They stepped up and led, led by example, and it makes you proud," Leek said.
 ::snipping3::
Video at Link

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/city-of-west-county-leaders-unsure-about-modular-homes/article_7ccce816-31e5-56e9-803e-322f0c6587af.html
City of West, county leaders unsure about modular homes
June 11, 2013

Bringing modular homes into West for displaced residents still is being considered, but it might be more expensive than originally thought, said Karen Bernsen, interim executive director of the West Long-Term Recovery Committee.
On Monday afternoon, officials from McLennan County, the city of West and other supporting groups heard from Sustainable Modular Management Inc. and the American Red Cross in an informal planning session to discuss the cost of bringing temporary units to West for homeowners displaced by the April 17 explosion.
The cost of moving one unit to West is $10,000 and doesn’t include connecting to any of the city’s utilities. The units would come from Killeen and can house two families.
“What we’re trying to assess over the next week is, ‘Is this feasible?’ ” Bernsen said.
Precinct 3 McLennan County Commissioner Will Jones said he thought the meeting was extremely helpful. It was the first time everyone who might be involved in the project had a chance to hear and address potential issues.
The three-bedroom, one-bath residences would be available for two years only to West residents who are rebuilding homes, Bernsen said. This would allow them to be closer to their construction sites, hopefully accelerating the building process.
Each unit uses about a quarter-acre and has a list of topography requirements, Bernsen said. The city engineer will research sites to see if there is a 10-acre plot within city limits that can house the 40 units available. If there isn’t that much land, the city is willing to look at smaller plots, but it wants as many units as possible, Bernsen said.
Jones said he would like the homes to be brought in, but is concerned that the cost to the city would prevent it. Sewer and water lines would need to be installed and roads would need to be built, which are extremely expensive, Jones said.
“We have nothing buttoned up. It’s all high-level discussion — feasibility discussions,” Bernsen said.
The temporary residential development would be owned by a private company that residents would rent from.
Jones said he would work to make sure the houses were tax-exempt.
Officials at the meeting also were unclear on who would pay for moving the units.
FEMA is not expected to supply any money for the effort. Mayor Tommy Muska told the Tribune-Herald recently that the agency won’t provide trailers for displaced residents because they determined there to be an abundance of hotel rooms available in the West area.
The county will not supply anything but manpower and equipment for the project. Muska said the city would not be able to provide any money for moving the units. He said the city would not have been able to give anything for a $4,000 move, which he initially was told the cost would be, and $10,000 is unthinkable.
A homeowner’s insurance policy that covers housing may cover the cost of moving a unit and the rent of staying there,
Bernsen said. But homeowners with policies without a housing allowance would be required to pay for it themselves.
Bernsen said she plans to apply for state and federal aid to minimize the cost.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyEek::


http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-isd-to-go-with-less-expensive-option-for-football/article_f2a55df9-9197-5d11-b8d1-a48238811f2d.html
West ISD to go with less-expensive option for football field renovation
June 11, 2013

West Independent School District Superintendent Marty Crawford responded Monday to a critical letter from U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, explaining the district’s plans to reverse course on a decision to put in artificial turf on its damaged football field.
Crawford’s original plan, which was approved by the school board May 28, outlined plans to spend $900,000 repairing the field with artificial turf.
The field at Trojan Stadium was damaged when it was used as a makeshift triage center in the immediate aftermath of the April 17 West fertilizer plant explosion.
The letter from Flores,
R-Bryan, referred to a recent

telephone conversation the congressman had with Crawford.
Flores said his office received phone calls from constituents questioning the cost to replace the turf when the district has many other needs.
“Those constituents and I are very concerned about the negative (perception) of spending almost a million dollars for an athletic facility upgrade at a time when all three of the West ISD campuses need to be repaired,” Flores wrote.
Crawford said the district now intends to put in grass instead, which could cost about $250,000.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/fema-denies-emergency-money-for-west-schools-infra/nYJjj/
FEMA denies emergency money for West schools, infrastructure
June 12, 2013

The Federal Emergency Management Agency won’t pay for the City of West to repair or replace nearly $60 million dollars for schools, sewer and water lines, and other infrastructure problems caused when a fertilizer plant explosion rocked the rural community two months ago.
The federal agency decided the financial toll of the disaster — which killed 15 people and destroyed or damaged 200 homes — was not severe enough to warrant money to replace infrastructure that has left part of the city without water or sewer for more than two months after the explosion in mid-April.
FEMA has provided some financial assistance to individuals to help with debris removal, mental health care, food and legal servcies, according to a letter from federal authorities to Gov. Rick Perry’s office on Monday. But it will not cover $57 million in infrastructure costs, according to information from the Associated Press. Of that money, $40 million was slated to fix the three schools that were closed immediately after the explosion.
West Mayor Tommy Muska blasted the federal decision. Shortly after the explosion, President Barack Obama traveled to the community to pledge support for the city, a pledge he says the president has reneged on.
“He said he was going to be right behind us,” Muska said. “He’s so far behind us that we can’t even find him.”
The governor is disappointed by the decision, but will continue to work with FEMA, said spokesman Josh Havens.
More...

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/FEMA-Wont-Provide-Money-To-Help-Rebuild-West-211215191.html
FEMA Won’t Provide Money To Help Rebuild West
June 12, 2013

WEST (June 12, 2013)--The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it won’t provide money to help rebuild West where a deadly fertilizer plant explosion on April 17 killed 15, injured about 200 and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings including three of the town’s four schools.

In a letter sent To Gov. Rick Perry, who requested a major disaster declaration for West, FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate said “this event is not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration.”

The denial comes more than six weeks after President Barack Obama assured mourners at a community memorial service in Waco that the town and its residents wouldn’t be forgotten.

“To the families and neighbors grappling with unbearable loss, we are here to say you are not alone, you are not forgotten. We’re neighbors too, we’re Americans too, and we stand with you and we do not forget and we’ll be there even after the cameras leave and the attention turns elsewhere,” he said.

Perry referred to the president’s vow Wednesday in a statement issued in response to the denial.

"The day of the West memorial service, President Obama stood in front of a grieving community and told them they would not be forgotten,” Perry said.

“He said his administration would stand with them, ready to help. We anticipate the president will hold true to his word and help us work with FEMA to ensure much-needed assistance reaches the community of West."

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, whose district includes West, said in a statement Wednesday he was stunned by FEMA’s denial.

“Along with damaging or destroying the schools and local infrastructure on which the West community relies, this incident took the lives of 15 citizens and injured countless others—the very people President Obama promised his administration would stand behind,” Birdwell said.

“As I pledged to Mayor (Tommy) Muska this afternoon, I look forward to working with Governor Rick Perry, Congressman Bill Flores and U.S. Senators Cornyn and Cruz to ensure this egregious decision is appealed and ultimately reversed.”
 ::snipping3::
“Just last month I saw the devastation first-hand, met with rescue workers and heard the President himself say that 'America needs more towns like West,” Abbott said.

“But now, once the cameras have stopped rolling, President Obama's FEMA has denied our state and our neighbors the necessary opportunities to rebuild critical infrastructure in the town, including an entire school,” he said.

West Mayor Tommy Muska says the town needs the money to cover $57 million in damage to buildings and infrastructure including schools and water and sewer systems.

An emergency disaster declaration was issued on April 19 and was expanded on May 1 to allow residents affected by the explosion to seek Individual Assistance Grants to cover such things as temporary housing, home repairs, medical and dental expenses, funeral expenses, personal property and transportation.

A major disaster declaration would have allowed the city to seek federal funds to repair damaged public infrastructure.

The agency has issued more than 20 major disaster declarations so far this year, all of them related to severe weather.

Perry’s spokesman Josh Havens told News 10 Wednesday morning this was actually the second denial FEMA has issued for help requested from West.

The denial this week concerns a request for assistance to the city for infrastructure and other repairs.

"FEMA requires that certain thresholds be met to approve assistance and we (West) met those thresholds," Havens said.

"We don't know why they denied it."

"Usually if you meet it (the threshold), you get it," Havens said.

Havens said the Governor's Office has 30 days to file an appeal, but he could not say if or when that might happen.

The first denial, which Havens said was "partial," came about three weeks ago and it was in response to an individual request, intended to help individual families.

"They denied part of that request and approved other parts," Havens said.

Havens said the governor's staff will use the next 30 days to work with the area FEMA office in Denton to determine if they it needs to file an appeal or use another avenue to seek funding.

FEMA Disaster Declarations for 2013
http://www.fema.gov/disasters/grid/year/2013?field_disaster_type_term_tid_1=All

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Private-donations-in-West-sit-idle-211312541.html
Private donations in West sit idle
June 12, 2013

WEST — While hundreds of West homeowners seek FEMA and insurance money to help rebuild their lives, millions of dollars in private donations is yet to be distributed.
According to a News 8 tally, more than $5 million in private donations has funneled into accounts set up at the town's two banks, as well as a variety of relief funds through agencies like the Salvation Army, Baylor University and the Waco Foundation. [SEE NOTE]
The Waco Foundation has collected the largest amount to date, close to $1.4 million. Executive director Ashley Allison said a lot of that money could be pivotal to West residents who can't find "full" relief elsewhere.
"Elderly folks might be under-insured, or not insured at all," she said.
But Allison admits only about $20,000 of the $1.4 million has been handed out.
Baylor hasn't yet distributed a single penny.
The Salvation Army told News 8 most of the money it has put into West so far was to cover operational expenses of their relief efforts on the ground.
So what accounts for the holdup?
Town leaders have been pushing for most of the private donations to be channeled through a newly established non-profit organization called the West Long-Term Recovery Center.
The center is trying to attain a 501(c)3 designation so it can fully operate as a charity and start helping distribute the private money that the relief funds and banks have collected.
"It is a process, we know that," said interim executive director Karen Bernsen.
The Internal Revenue Service will ultimately decide on approving the center's designation. An application was filed last month, but there is no timetable for approval.
Bernsen it was also important that homeowners try and exhaust all efforts through FEMA and the SBA before looking to private money for relief. That's because those agencies won't duplicate, or provide relief checks, if they think a homeowner has already been covered for that expense by private funds or insurance.
 ::snipping3::

FEMA said last week more than $6.5 million has been approved for nearly 800 residents impacted by the fertilizer plant explosion on April 17. People who are still looking for more information on the relief process can find additional information at the West Long-Term Recovery website.
NOTE: A number of other organizations, like the Red Cross, provided resources following the blast, but because these groups didn't specifically track or mark donations as intended solely for long-term relief in West, they are not included in the above tally.

*My highlight in blue.  Is this the same money that was approved by FEMA, but now is denied? I thought parts of it were denied, parts of it approved and now none of it is approved?  There was money requests for individuals and then there was money requests for school and infrastructure. 


http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/FEMA-Wont-Provide-Money-To-Help-Rebuild-West-211215191.html
FEMA Won’t Provide Money To Help Rebuild West
June 12, 2013

 ::snipping3::
An emergency disaster declaration was issued on April 19 and was expanded on May 1 to allow residents affected by the explosion to seek Individual Assistance Grants to cover such things as temporary housing, home repairs, medical and dental expenses, funeral expenses, personal property and transportation.
 ::snipping3::
The first denial, which Havens said was "partial," came about three weeks ago and it was in response to an individual request, intended to help individual families.

"They denied part of that request and approved other parts," Havens said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Demolition-begins-on-apartment-complex-irreparably-damaged-in-West-blast-211476631.html
Demolition begins on apartment complex irreparably damaged in West blast
June 14, 2013

WEST –– On Thursday morning, demolition crews began knocking down what was left blown-out apartment complex that sat a few hundred feet from the West Fertilizer Co. plant that exploded in April, leaving a crater nearly 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep.
 ::snipping3::
Items like stuffed animals and photo albums that were found on Thursday were set aside so that volunteers coming on Saturday can collect the items and hopefully return them to their owners.
No one is certain what will eventually be built on the site. The family that owns the apartments will have to evaluate the foundation to see if it is still usable.
Mayor Tommy Muska told News 8 he would like to see some of the land be used as an extension for the nearby park as a way to honor the fallen. 
"I would like to see a memorial for our first responders or firefighters that died," he said. 
 ::snipping3::

Photo Gallery with 7 images at link in article.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/texas-lawmakers-review-laws-after-west-plant-blast/nYL7r/
Texas lawmakers review laws after West plant blast
June 15, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers will review existing rules and regulations for the safe handling of hazardous materials to determine whether state laws need to be more stringent after a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant highlighted the dangers of these substances.
On Monday, Rep. Joe Pickett, chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, will convene the second hearing since the West Fertilizer Co. plant caught fire and blew up in April, killing 15 people and injuring more than 200.
Some 60,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer, blew up after the heat of the fire destabilized the potentially explosive chemical that had been stored in wooden containers. The incident brought attention to regulation of the chemical, revealing that most current laws — both state and federal — are more focused on preventing chemicals from getting into the hands of criminals or terrorists rather than on its safe handling and storage.
"There isn't anybody who says, 'it's our responsibility to make sure these places are identified and they are following safe procedures, and here's our plan,'" Pickett, a Democrat from El Paso, told the Dallas Morning News (http://dallasne.ws/18IWy3u ).
The hearing could start a discussion about whether Texas needs to adopt rules that go "above and beyond" federal law, he said.
Officials from the Department of Public Safety and the State Fire Marshal's Office are to testify at the hearing.
Federal law requires companies that store and handle ammonium nitrate to file an annual report detailing the average amount they have on hand daily and their maximum storage capacity. The West Fertilizer Co. completed this requirement. But it appears some of the first responders who were to use the report to prepare for potential problems may not have reviewed the document.
At a May 1 legislative committee meeting, state agencies explained their roles in overseeing the dangerous chemicals. While each had some oversight, none claimed to be responsible for regulating the safe handling and storage of the substances.
If the committee determines the law needs to be changed, that would be taken up in the next regular legislative session in 2015.
Gov. Rick Perry has told The Associated Press he is comfortable with the current oversight, and doesn't believe spending more money on inspections could prevent an explosion such as the one that occurred in West.
But Phillip Martin, research and policy director for the liberal advocacy group Progress Texas, said additional money is needed for inspections.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/Online-registry-among-state-plans-in-wake-of-West-disaster-211883091.html
Searchable web database among state plans in wake of West disaster
June 17, 2013

 ::snipping3::
"What should be the very next step that we do to keep this from happening again?" state Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, asked a panel of state officials at a Monday morning hearing.
 
According to Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy, the first step will be to create a website to let the public know where potentially dangerous chemicals are being stored. The website will be based on the DPS sex offender website, which allows the public to search by zip code to easily find out which sex offenders may be living near them. McCraw says the bottom line is that knowing what's nearby is important.
 
"The same thing can be said about chemical facilities," McCraw explained. "Why wouldn't you want to know where they're located at? And the data's already there. The Department of State Health Services has the data. It's in an Excel spreadsheet capacity. It can be easily overlaid onto a map."
 
Lawmakers additionally tasked officials with producing a list of regulatory "best practices" for communities like West with similar facilities in their back yards. Officials will look into signage that would make it easier to identify areas in which ammonium nitrate, the common fertilizer responsible for the blast, is stored. The Office of the State Fire Marshal and DPS were also asked to provide training to volunteer fire departments to more safely handle future disasters.
 
"We're going to get on it right away," Connealy responded to media questions after the hearing concerning the timetable for the website and other initiatives requested by the committee. "I've got a two-week deadline to give a status of how soon we expect to get this up."
 
Businesses are already required to report the storage of certain quantities of potentially dangerous chemicals to the federal government. The reports are kept on file with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), yet the department currently has no authority to investigate or punish businesses that fail to comply.
 
Lawmakers were troubled to find that since the blast, the state has received more than 600 of those reports from facilities which had previously filed none. Of those, 129 dealt with at least 10,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate (the minimum required to report), including at least one facility similar to the plant in West.
 ::snipping3::
State officials and committee members were united in voicing frustration over the Federal Emergency Management Agency's decision not to declare West a "major disaster." A set of talking points released by FEMA explained the agency will continue to provide reimbursements for debris removal and emergency protective measures, noting that many of the buildings destroyed by the explosion were covered under insurance.
 
"Show me where you don't see this as a disaster," Pickett told media after the committee voted unanimously to draft a letter to FEMA expressing its concerns. "I don't know if you can ever embarrass the feds over anything, but somebody there might just do the right thing."
 
Investigators have determined that the fire caused the fertilizer to detonate, but did not originate within the ammonium nitrate itself. Although the investigation remains open, Connealy suggested Monday it's likely the cause of the initial fire may never be determined.
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Hearings-to-review-West-fertilizer-explosion-211768321.html
Hearings underway to review West fertilizer blast as cleanup continues
June 16, 2013

The deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West is the topic of hearings at the State Capitol today.
A legislative safety committee is listening to testimony from the Department of Public Safety, emergency management officials and the state fire marshal's office.
The committee will consider state regulations for potentially hazardous materials.
Officials ruled last month there was no "exact cause" of the April 17 fire that ignited 60,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, triggering the blast that killed 15 people, including 12 first responders.
 ::snipping3::
FEMA says it is standing by its decision to deny assistance for the town, schools and infrastructure repairs, although millions of dollars in individual assitance was approved.
The state has 30 days to appeal FEMA's ruling.
Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/State-committee-recommends-changes-in-wake-of-West-211906161.html
State panel recommends changes in wake of West blast
June 17, 2013

 ::snipping3::
On Monday in Austin, a small group of state lawmakers decided not to wait for the federal government to act. They took their own action, hoping to at least begin making sure that a West-type accident doesn’t happen again.
The images of the destruction, the heart-wrenching tales of loss and ruin will stay with the residents of West and others for a lifetime. But the culprit being blamed for the explosion — the chemical fertilizer ammonium nitrate — is still out there at 129 businesses storing 10,000 pounds or more on site.
It is a chemical that is virtually unregulated; in some cases unprotected; and in many cases the community is unaware of its existence.
For the second time since the April 17 explosion, House Public Safety Committee Chairman Joe Pickett, has called the state's top experts into hearings for answers. Testifying before the committee Monday were the heads of the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Department of Public Safety and the State Fire Marshal.
What went wrong in West and how can they help keep it from happening again?
"My concerns are, we are going to know," said Rep Joe Pickett (D-El Paso). "At this point, it may be something that is only on a public record somewhere, but we are going to get that information out."
In less than two hours, committee members had come up with a list of recommendations, beginning with asking state officials to help produce a website disclosing ammonium nitrate storage facilities all across Texas.
"The best thing to do is put it on a web page like our sex offenders, so the public has a right to know," said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw. "A thousand pages on an Excel spreadsheet, but they can simply just put in their zip code"
The committee also wants to make a "best practices" list available to volunteer fire departments for how to handle ammonium nitrate in an emergency.
The committee wants the state fire marshal to offer free safety inspections to any facility that asks, and recommends that all facilities storing ammonium nitrate be labeled as such.
Only one committee member, Rep. Dan Flynn (R-Van), voiced any resistance.
"But you can paperwork a company to death with just list after list, and signs, and of this kind of stuff," Flynn said. "I think we need to keep it in perspective. I think it's a major problem and an accident."
Despite Flynn's misgivings about burdening the agriculture industry, the committee voted to move forward, agreeing to meet again in two weeks to see what progress has been made.
The committee also voted to send a message to FEMA. It wants the federal disaster agency to reconsider its decision not to provide more disaster funds to West.
Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/west-sues-plant-owner-over-fertilizer-blast
West officials sue plant owner over fertilizer blast
April 17 blast killed 15 people
June 21, 2013WACO, Texas (AP) — Officials of the small Texas town devastated by an April 17 fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people has filed suit against the plant owner and supplier.

The lawsuit filed Friday seeks unspecified damages from plant owner Adair Grain and CF Industries, which supplied agricultural-grade ammonium nitrate toe the plant. A fire at the plant ignited the explosive chemical, flattening homes, schools and businesses and killing firefighters and other first-responders.

The lawsuit filed in state district court in Waco alleges Adair Grain was negligent in how it stored the chemical. It says CF Industries was liable for an inherently hazardous product.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/lawyers-looking-for-parties-who-could-be-partially-liable-for/article_10979118-d779-5851-8042-0486f2874aee.html
Lawyers looking for parties who could be partially liable for West blast
June 22, 2013



Lawyers for victims of the West fertilizer plant explosion are looking to find other companies that could be held responsible for the blast, because the plant has little insurance and few 
assets.
Adair Grain, which owned the plant, only has $1 million in liability insurance, but the blast caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, killed 15 people and injured hundreds more. Money that could be obtained from selling the company’s assets will be minimal because much of what it owned was destroyed in the blast, local attorneys say.
“Most of it got blown away in the explosion,” said Randy Roberts, an attorney representing some victims of the explosion. “You can’t even seize their golf cart.”
Some lawyers expect the company to go bankrupt and for its cash and assets to be divided among many plaintiffs.
If Adair Grain was found to be the only responsible party, plaintiffs would get a very small piece of an already small pie.
“In that situation, you’re basically in line for money, and how much you get, if anything, is determined by bankruptcy court,” said Baylor Law School associate professor Laura Hernandez.
The strategy for many lawyers is to sue companies with larger assets that could be partially responsible for the explosion.
“Some call it the ‘deep pockets’ theory, but what you’re doing is looking for parties who were in a position to prevent this,” Roberts said. “Even if they were 10 or 15 percent responsible, they should pay their share for the damage they caused.”
Chad Pinkerton, a Houston-based lawyer who has set up an office in West, is employing this strategy for his 35 clients. He said other potentially responsible parties include the manufacturer of the explosive materials, the train and trucking companies that delivered it and whatever sparked the fire, which has not yet been determined by investigators.
Steve Harrison, a Waco-based lawyer, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the city of West against the manufacturer of the explosive materials Friday.
He claims the manufacturer, CF Industries, was negligent in failing to include an additive in the materials that would have kept it from detonating, among other allegations.
Pinkerton said the deliverers of the material also must take partial responsibility for the blast. He said when explosive material is delivered, the delivery companies must check to make sure it is properly permitted and stored, something he said was not happening at West Fertilizer Co.
Pinkerton, who conducted his own investigation of the explosion site, said a golf cart with a faulty battery may have been responsible for igniting the blast. He said the golf carts were recalled due to a battery malfunction that had been causing fires.

 ::snipping3::

One roadblock lawyers have run into when building their cases is the ongoing criminal investigation related to the explosion. The McLennan County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers are still trying to determine if the fire that caused the blast was intentionally set. The investigation has shielded certain documents from becoming public. “Until those matters are resolved and completed, we can’t get discovery from any defendants because they will take the position that the investigation is ongoing, and they don’t have to divulge that,” Pinkerton said.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-blast-brings-scrutiny-to-chemical-hazards/article_16c8e525-cd4a-5225-b0a0-e4dd6c8846ab.html
West blast brings scrutiny to chemical hazards
June 24, 2013

http://us.cnn.com/2013/06/27/us/texas-explosion/?iref=obinsite
Texas fertilizer plant fell through 'patchwork' of safety rules
June 28, 2013

CNN) -- The fertilizer blamed for the massive explosion that devastated a Texas town in April was kept in wooden bins, in a wooden building, with no sprinklers nearby.
And that fell within the existing safety rules for handling ammonium nitrate, a "patchwork" of regulations, recommendations and guidance "that has many large holes," the head of the U.S. Chemical Safety Board told a Senate committee Thursday.
The federal agency hasn't found any regulations "that prohibit or discourage many of the factors that likely contributed" to the April 17 explosion in West, Texas, the board's chairman, Rafael Moure-Eraso, told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
A fire at the West Fertilizer Company led to an ammonium nitrate explosion that devastated the small town south of Dallas and killed 15 people, most of them firefighters and paramedics. The blast showed up on seismographs as a small earthquake and flattened or damaged dozens of homes, two schools and a nursing home nearby.
 ::snipping3::

With a budget of $10.6 million and a current staff of 42, the Chemical Safety Board investigates chemical accidents and makes recommendations to prevent future ones. The board is also investigating the June 13 explosion at a chemical plant in Geismar, Louisiana, that killed two people and injured more than 100.
The agency has a lengthy backlog of cases and "no capacity at this point to undertake any new investigative work," he said.
West Fertilizer had been cited by federal regulators twice in the seven years before the blast, including a $5,250 fine for storing anhydrous ammonia in tanks that lacked the proper warning labels.
Since the explosion, Texas officials have announced plans for an online database that will allow residents to view local facilities that hold hazardous materials. Meanwhile, the town has sued the company that sold ammonium nitrate to West Fertilizer, arguing it "blindly" supplied the chemical to a firm that didn't handle it properly
Slide show at link.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/west-expected-to-get-state-aid-to-rebuild-ailing-i/nYZk2/
West expected to get state aid to rebuild ailing infrastructure after explosion
June 30, 2013

In January, three months before the members of West’s volunteer fire department would face the biggest conflagration they had ever seen, their town’s last working water well conked out.
So when the local fertilizer plant caught fire April 17, West had only half its normal supply of water, every drop piped from Lake Waco 15 miles away.
Even so, that fire — which caused tons of ammonium nitrate to detonate — apparently spread too fast to put West’s crippled water system to the test. Equipped with a single tanker truck that would have taken only minutes to drain, firefighters were still trying to hook up to the nearest water hydrant three blocks away when the plant blew up, said Mayor Tommy Muska.
But Muska believes sufficient water could have made a difference in what happened next, when flames thrown by the blast eventually destroyed a school and several houses.
“We’d have been able to save the school,” he said. “It was a small fire when it started. We couldn’t put it out fast enough.”
The stress on the water system was too great, said Muska. “It was OK for a regular day. But when you have five fires and an explosion, that’s not a regular day.”
If there was a silver lining to the heavy cloud that has fallen on West, it was the hope that federal disaster relief would enable the little town to upgrade utility infrastructure that was ailing even before the explosion damaged the water system. The devastation spanned entire blocks and included 15 deaths, 12 of them volunteer firefighters.
But the Federal Emergency Management Administration on June 10 denied a request for a presidential disaster declaration that would release those public assistance funds. State and local officials accused the Obama administration of reneging on a promise to help West in its hour of need and said they may appeal. Federal authorities said Texas has sufficient resources for the task.
Now, it appears that the wheels were already turning for Texas to expend some of those resources. In the waning hours of the regular legislative session, lawmakers shifted $15 million from the state’s rainy day fund to a disaster fund controlled by Gov. Rick Perry, with an unspecified amount intended for West. Muska expects the town will receive $10 million to help it rebuild.
In fact, weeks before the FEMA denial, the governor’s office called a meeting of West officials and various state agencies to discuss the town’s funding options. The Texas Water Development Board estimates the total cost of water and wastewater projects needed in West at $13.6 million, which could be covered by low-interest federal loans if necessary. Some loans might qualify to be forgiven, said Merry Klonower, spokeswoman for the water agency.
The Texas Department of Transportation might be able to help with repaving city streets after utility repairs are made, Muska said.
 ::snipping3::
West has struggled with infrastructure problems for years. According to a 2011 report by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, four of its five water wells and three of its water tanks were no longer functional. The town had built a water line that brought half of its water, up to a maximum of 500,000 gallons per day, from the city of Waco. The rest came from a well that was being repaired at the time of the explosion and was only recently put back in service.
In 2010, the state environmental agency noted that West’s water supply, storage and pumping capability exceeded 85 percent of its capacity, a condition that was supposed to trigger a planning report from the town to show how it intended to meet future demand on the utility. The report was never made, said Andrea Morrow, a spokeswoman for the agency.
The problem now isn’t insufficient water in West, but the displacement of so many residents from the neighborhoods that suffered the most damage from the blast. Because of the currently low water demand, the system is unable to adequately chlorinate the water, said Morrow, and a boil-water notice remains in effect for users in that area.
The West City Council’s plans for a $4 million bond issue to replace deteriorating sewer lines have been tabled since the explosion, said Muska, because the loss of hundreds of homes has decimated the utility’s customer base. “We’ve lost 60 percent of our revenue,” Muska said. “We can’t issue those bonds.”
Exactly how much West gets from the governor’s disaster fund is up to Perry. And though the money would barely dent the $8 billion rainy day fund, it’s an unusually swift response by a state that has relied heavily on the federal government when disasters strike.
In West, most of the FEMA aid, about $790,000 so far, has been in the form of temporary housing assistance, plus an additional $1.1 million to reimburse agencies that responded to the explosion. The Small Business Administration has approved about $6.9 million in low-interest loans.
While FEMA has approved additional funds for debris removal and protective measures, there’s been little debris to remove, Muska said, and the denial of federal grants to rebuild his town’s infrastructure is a sore point with the mayor. The state has not yet decided whether to appeal that decision, said Josh Havens, a spokesman for Perry.
However, the federal government has declared more emergencies in Texas — 333 — than in any other state, including 39 presidential disaster declarations in the past 25 years, also more than any other state. It has received $2.6 billion in FEMA aid to clean up debris and rebuild public infrastructure in the last decade alone.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/company-donates-funds-for-west-fire-truck-to-honor-snokhous/article_433a3a42-6be1-59a0-9159-e92cd87de00a.html
Company donates funds for West fire truck to honor Snokhous brothers
July 3, 2013

It’s been more than two months since Robert Snokhous and his brother, Doug, were killed fighting a fire at West Fertilizer Co., but their boss fought back tears Tuesday while honoring them.
David Harwell, president of Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, was in St. Louis attending a steel industry conference April 17 when he learned of the explosion in West that killed his longtime employees, 13 others and injured more than 200.
He said those attending the conference immediately asked what they could do to assist the town and the families of those first responders who rushed in despite knowing the powerful and potentially deadly threat 
inside the plant.
On Tuesday night, Harwell, CTIW vice president Roy Eaton and personnel manager Jay Cockerham presented West Mayor Tommy Muska with a check for $45,950 from the Steel Industry West Relief Fund so the city can buy a new brush firetruck in honor of the Snokhous brothers, both longtime West firefighters and CTIW 
employees.
“Robert and Doug Snokhous were some of the finest people this world had to offer,” Muska said. “This truck will be a tribute to them. Each will have his name engraved on a plaque that will go on the fenders.”
After the presentation, Harwell hugged Robert Snokhous’ wife, Alison, and Doug Snokhous’ two daughters, Lauren and Laken, telling them that they still are part of the CTIW family.
“This means everything to us,” Alison Snokhous said after the presentation, wiping away tears. “They would have loved it. He would have wanted to be the first one to drive it and he and his brother probably would have fought over it to see who got to drive it first.”
Robert Snokhous, 48, worked for 20 years at CTIW, where he was project manager.
Doug Snokhous, 50, worked at CTIW for
29 years and was a shop 
supervisor.
Shortly after the explosion, their family said they were comforted knowing that the close-knit brothers were together at the end.
More...

It's a real shame to see donations bottle necked by red tape/paperwork.   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-gets-okay-to-hand-out-donation-money-215019191.html
West recovery center passes major hurdle
July 11, 2013

Some good news emerged Wednesday out of the hard-hit town of West, Texas.
The West Long-Term Recovery center has finally received an official 501(c)3 designation from the IRS.
That was a was critical and necessary step before any private donations could be distributed or streamlined through the center.
A number of relief funds — like the Waco Foundation and accounts at the town banks — have been collecting money since the deadly fertilizer plant explosion on April 17.
Roughly $3.5 million in private donations has been collected.
Organizations like the Salvation Army have also raised more than $1.1 million in donations specifically intended for relief efforts in West.
Baylor University also announced on Wednesday that the near $300,000 it has collected will be given to a local church to further help with demolition and debris removal efforts.
The recovery center said there is still no firm timetable for when private donations will start being distributed.
 ::snipping3::

Please let me clarify my comment above.  I understand the importance of handling donations in the proper manner, but it's a shame red tape/paperwork has bottle necked the distribution of the funds. 

The town of West and it's citizens were hit hard.  Some lost homes, some had damaged homes, some have lost jobs.  Children have had  to be bused to another area.  Where are/were the citizens staying, once their allotment for a hotel ran out?  How far have they had to travel to and from their work now, and etc?  How many are staying with friends and/or relatives?  How far is that commute?  I'm thinking about the gas involved in that alone.  Where are their pets?  Have they been able to recover them, and if so, how are they keeping them?  Yes, pets are important to many.  After the Bastrop fires, there were  a number of pets that went unclaimed.  It was thought folks just had no place to keep them anymore.   ::MonkeyNoNo::  Life doesn't stop with disaster.  The cost of living continues, including food, clothing, doctor, dental, car payments, insurance, utilities, etc.  JMHO

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-gets-okay-to-hand-out-donation-money-215019191.html
At the end of the above article:  "Eligibility requirements for who might qualify for the funds are still being determined."

Really?  Folks are going to be waiting even longer.  Couldn't there have been guidelines worked out sometime during the 2 1/2 (almost 3) months since the explosion? 

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/215388601.html
Gov. Perry says Texans will work to help rebuild West
July 14, 2013

 ::snipping3::

Perry has pressed President Barack Obama and federal officials to reconsider their denial of major emergency aid.
Fifteen people died in an April 17 fertilizer plant blast.
Residents face thousands of dollars in unexpected costs and uncertainty about when they can return to West. The town and schools lack millions of dollars to get back to normal.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/devastated-texas-town-ponders-schools-future/nYsRS/
Devastated Texas town ponders schools’ future
July 16, 2013

http://www.wfaa.com/news/education/west-schools-215770651.html
West ISD has plan to keep students in town this fall
July 16, 2013

Video & photos at link.

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Orphaned-4-year-old-to-host-hod-dog-fundraiser-benefiting-West-TX-park-216201521.html
Orphaned 4 year old to host hot dog fundraiser benefiting West, TX park
July 19, 2013

WEST, Texas -- A four year old in West, Texas is planning a fundraiser to help rebuild the city park, taking a page from his firefighter father who died in the West explosion.

Parker Pustejovsky brought up the idea to hold a fundraiser selling hot dogs. Parker wants to follow in his fathers footsteps, Joey Pustejovsky, a West Volunteer firefighter who died in the explosion. The idea came around during Memorial Day Weekend when Parker told his grandparents, Joe and Carolyn Pustejovsky about his plan.

"He comes up to us and says,'GG, I have a project that I'm going to do.' And she asks, 'what's the plan parker?'", Joe said. "And he said, 'I'm going to raise money to build the city park.'"

The city park was destroyed by the April 17th West Fertilizer Co. explosion. Now it's just an open field with a teeter-totter and some swings.

"We just looked at each other in aw and Carolyn said, 'What are you going to do for the project?''' said Joe.

And Parker came up with the idea to sell hot dogs. They call it Parker's Park Project and word spread. In fact, it went viral: on Facebook, over a thousand likes and web page hits from around the world.
 ::snipping3::

https://www.facebook.com/ParkersParkProject
Community
This project is 4 yr old Parker Pustejovsky's idea to rebuild the city park after it was destroyed in the fertilizer plant explosion in West on 4-17-13.


Some great news - we've got a website!!

www.parkersparkproject.com

More info on t-shirt online ordering coming soon on here and the website. The site also includes a direct link for donations and for sending messages. It is fluid and updates will be coming regularly. Know that we appreciate everyone's support and that Parker's Park Project is an ongoing effort!!

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Parkers-Park-Project-Raises-83000-in-One-Day-216319651.html
Parker's West Park Project Raises $83,000 In One Day
July 20, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/XNWzkzU.gif)
Parker Pustejovsky


WEST (JULY 20, 2013) - The West City Park is well on its way to being rebuilt thanks to one very special 4-year-old boy.

Hundreds turned out Saturday to help with Parker's Park Project.

The explosion in West took so much from Parker Pustejovsky. It killed his father, nearly leveled his grandparents' home and destroyed the city's only park.

Parker's grandparents, Joe and Carolyn, said they sometimes wonder how or if young Parker can grasp all he has been though, but Parker does know he misses his playground.

"He told his GiGi that he had a project that he wanted to do and she asked him what that was and he said he was going to raise money to rebuild the city park," Joe Pustejovsky said.

Selling hot dogs was how Parker decided to do it.

With the help of a silent auction and a few generous donors, Parker raised over $83,000.

Always known to lend a hand, Parker's dad Joey Pustejovsky was the city secretary and a West volunteer firefighter.

"Being just four-years-old, a lot of people say Parker won't remember his dad," Joe Pustejovsky said. "We are going to do our best to instill his dad in him."
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/FEMA-grants-nearly-3-million-for-West-schools-217145031.html
FEMA grants nearly $3 million for West schools
July 26, 2013

WEST, Texas (AP) -- Federal emergency officials have announced a grant of nearly $2.8 million to help schools devastated by a plant explosion in a Central Texas town
 ::snipping3::
On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a grant that includes money for temporary classrooms and administrative buildings to replace those destroyed or damaged in the explosion. Under a cost-sharing formula, FEMA reimburses the state for 75 percent of the total costs while the state covers the rest.
Federal officials previously rejected $40 million in disaster aid for the schools. Insurers had offered just $20 million of the district's $59 million policy.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130721-family-of-arrested-west-man-says-feds-should-clear-him-of-ties-to-plant-explosion.ece
Family of arrested West man says feds should clear him of ties to plant explosion
July 21, 2013

(long article)

 ::snipping3::
Still in jail
More than two months after his arrest, Reed remains in jail on no bail. That’s partially because the media frenzy and the possible portrayal of Reed as a terrorist made his family fear for his safety. He waved his initial detention hearing so he wouldn’t have to appear in court in person, his family said. His next court date is set for next month.
In recent weeks, Reed has undergone psychological evaluations, his family said. Sibley, his lawyer, declined to discuss whether an evaluation was done.
Experts said such an evaluation could delay federal authorities from talking to Reed. That, in turn, could delay authorities from definitively clearing the man from starting the fire even if they believe he had an unrelated pipe bomb.
“They want to make sure whatever they say, they’re right about it,” said Mike Uhl, former deputy criminal chief at the U.S. Attorney’s Northern District office.
Experts said it could take years to flesh out an arson investigation. Roper, the former U.S. attorney, said investigators have no legal obligation to clear Reed of involvement in the explosion. Uhl, on the other hand, expects authorities will say either way at some point.
“There’s a strong interest in the community to know,” Uhl said.
Reed’s family and attorney believe authorities should move quicker to clear his name. As for the pipe bomb charges, Sibley said he’s eager to battle the accusations in court.
Therese Nelson said her son’s situation has been devastating to her family. Still, she feels lucky. Many people in West are grieving the deaths of their loved ones.
“I don’t want to lose sight of that, and I know Bryce doesn’t either,” she said.

http://www.kcentv.com/story/22933105/latest-on-bryce-reed
Latest on Bryce Reed
July 25, 2013

The McLennan County district attorney's office has received a finished report from the Texas Rangers regarding Bryce Reed.

Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, has returned from the Jack Harwell Detention Center after a court-ordered evaluation at a federal medical facility in Fort Worth.

District Attorney, Abel Reyna told KCEN that the Texas Rangers brought him a thick binder with reports from 12 rangers regarding Reed. Reyna said he hasn't read the report and plans to be done reading it sometime next week. Reyna made clear that right now he is only looking into the possession of a "prohibited weapon" and alleged possession of "bomb making materials".

Both the Texas Rangers and the Jonathan Sibley have yet to comment on the matter.
 ::snipping3::
Reed's trial is set for Aug. 19th in Waco's U.S. District Court.

Video at Link

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/police/da-receives-texas-ranger-report-on-former-west-paramedic/article_9f99ef48-9c71-5657-94f7-b0d098f73156.html
DA receives Texas Ranger report on former West paramedic
July 25, 2013

Texas Rangers have finished and submitted to McLennan County’s district attorney a report about a former West paramedic’s arrest for possession of bomb-making components three weeks after the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion.
Bryce Ashley Reed, 31, returned Friday to the Jack Harwell Detention Center after a court-ordered six-week evaluation at a federal medical facility in Fort Worth.
District Attorney Abel Reyna confirmed that Texas Rangers brought him a 6-inch-thick spiral notebook containing the contents of their investigation of Reed.
Reyna said he has not read the file and does not know yet if the contents are confined to the possession charge or if they address or clear Reed of any link to the explosion.
Texas Rangers have declined comment on the investigation.
Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said he and Reed remain frustrated that neither state nor federal authorities will clear Reed from speculation that he had anything to do with starting the fire at West Fertilizer Co. that ultimately caused ammonium nitrate to explode.
Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Matt Cawthon said he has not seen the Texas Rangers report, but has said that he has seen no evidence linking Reed to the plant fire.
 ::snipping3::
Sibley said he thinks federal authorities arrested Reed “in a rush to judgment” to silence him from the prominent role Reed played initially in acting at various venues as a self-appointed spokesman for the city of West and the grieving families of those lost in the blast.
He said he thinks Reed was arrested also because he criticized the multi-agency state and federal investigation into the 
explosion.
According to court documents, Reed gave a box to an unwitting Abbott resident that contained a “possible destructive device.”
The person called the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office, which took possession of a 31/2-inch pipe and a few bags filled with chemicals, court records state.
Reed admitted having the “components of a pipe bomb,” court documents say. But Sibley said Reed “vehemently denies the allegations against him.”
“He didn’t give the box to the guy who gave it to the feds,” Sibley said. “I can’t even say if there 
ever was a box, but this was something that the federal government pinned on him when they were in the middle of the investigation into the explosion and he was the one talking to the media, and the FBI and ATF didn’t like that.
“This was a convenient way to rush to judgment and to try to get him out of the way,” Sibley said. “I think the investigation will reveal that. I think it is faulty and Mr. Reed is ultimately looking forward to his day in court.”
Reed’s trial is set for Aug. 19 in Waco’s U.S. District Court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Frazier did not return calls to his office Wednesday.
“I am going to review the investigation as it was presented to me by the Texas Rangers,” Reyna said, “and I am going to look at what federal authorities are going to do with their case in deciding about what, if any, criminal charges we might bring.”
Sibley said he has not seen reports from Reed’s stay at the federal medical facility. But he said he visited Reed on Wednesday morning in jail and noticed an improvement in his demeanor.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Texas-Hasnt-Surveyed-Injuries-From-West-Explosion-217296871.html
Texas Hasn’t Surveyed Injuries From West Explosion
July 28, 2013

DALLAS (July 28, 2013)--More than three months after the April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co., which killed 15 people and left hundreds hurt, the state still has not started surveying blast injuries, the Dallas Morning News reported Sunday.

Federal and state officials suggest such a study could boost understanding about how many others may be in similar danger, but the Texas Department of State Health Services cannot even definitively say how many people were hurt in the blast.

An unofficial count estimates more than 300 may have been injured.
 ::snipping3::
After the West blast, federal officials sent an e-mail to the Texas health department emphasizing the importance of such a survey.

http://hillsbororeporter.com/tfb-donates-to-west-ems-park-p16597-54.htm
TFB Donates To West EMS, Park
July 30, 2013
Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) members donated $173,100 last week to help restore the community of West following the fertilizer plant explosion.
Representatives gathered Thursday, July 25, at West Volunteer Fire Department to present the funds on behalf of TFB, the Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies

 ::snipping3::

“Immediately following the explosion, Farm Bureau members across the state asked that we put together an effort to raise funds to help the citizens of West. We are here today to present the results of that effort,” said TFB President Kenneth Dierschke.
The president presented two checks to West Mayor Tommy Muska and EMS officials.
The state’s largest farming and ranching organization presented $125,000 to help fund a new ambulance for West EMS.
The volunteer EMS provider lost two ambulances and its building when the nearby plant exploded.
A second donation of $48,100 was given to help restore a city park near the blast that is expected to honor first responders who sacrificed for their neighbors and their community.
Parker Pustejovsky, four-year-old son of Joey Pustejovsky, who served as the town’s city manager and was one the first responders killed, organized a fund raiser the previous weekend to restore the park, which raised an estimated $83,000.
More than 400 of TFB’s 4,000 member families in McLennan County live in West. TFB has nearly 500,000 member families in Texas.
Earlier in the week, the board of directors for TFB and TFBIC approved donations to complement the gifts of dozens of county Farm Bureau organizations and many members across the state.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/mccaul-little-known-about-west-plant-before-blast
Obama orders review of chemical plant rules
Move is in response to West blast in April
August 1, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is ordering federal agencies to review safety rules at chemical facilities in response to the deadly April explosion at a Texas fertilizer plant.

In an executive order announced Thursday, Obama tasks agencies with identifying new ways to safely store and secure ammonium nitrate, the explosive chemical investigators say caused the blast. Agencies are also being told to determine whether additional chemicals should be covered by federal regulatory programs.
 ::snipping3::
While the explosion is still being investigated, preliminary findings have been presented to Congress. A report sent to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in June showed that the decades-old standards used to regulate fertilizer chemicals are far weaker than those used in other countries.

The report concluded that the safety of ammonium nitrate fertilizer storage "falls under a patchwork of U.S. regulatory standards and guidance — a patchwork that has many large holes."

The Environmental Protection Agency, for example, does not regulate the chemical. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that ammonium nitrate be stored separately from other combustibles in a room that has a partition that can withstand fire for up to an hour. But the agency had not inspected the West plant since 1985.

Some agencies do have rules on ammonium nitrate, but none apparently applied to the facility in West.

With the investigation continuing, the White House said it wanted to move forward where it could to address chemical safety concerns. Obama's executive order also calls for improved coordination among state and local agencies that deal with chemical plants. And it tasks the federal government with modernizing its information sharing about the plants.
Video at link.

http://www.statesman.com/news/ap/education/fema-approves-aid-for-texas-fertilizer-plant-blast/nZCHS/
FEMA approves aid for Texas fertilizer plant blast
August 2, 103

AUSTIN, Texas — The Federal Emergency Management Agency reversed its previous decision and approved additional funding Friday to help rebuild the small Texas town where an April fertilizer plant explosion leveled homes, damaged buildings and killed 15 people.
President Barack Obama issued a "major disaster declaration" for the community of West, just north of Waco, freeing up federal support to supplement state and local reconstruction efforts that are already underway.
Even before the decision, FEMA had provided millions of dollars in aid to West and its residents, but in June denied Texas' original application for major disaster funding, preventing the town from accessing widespread assistance money typically available to victims of tornadoes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
In its original letter to the state, FEMA said the explosion was "not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration." That ruling affected both public assistance aid — which provides funding to the city to rebuild — and further individual aid, which provides crisis counseling and other services.
 ::snipping3::
West Independent School District Superintendent Marty Crawford's voice cracked as he talked Friday about FEMA's aid reversal.
"It's already a little emotional right here. I don't know if I'm in shape to talk to you," he said. "We've been living this for three months and it's been pretty major."
Parts of three schools were damaged in the blast, and hundreds of older students had to be bused to a Waco-area school district for the last weeks of the most recent school year. Officials are working to level part of the damaged middle school and set up a temporary campus for all classes to resume in West later this month.
"Our main concern is getting kids back in school in West on August 26," Crawford said. "That's going to be a great day. It's going to be in temporary facilities, but either way."
He said the additional funding will allow officials to more quickly tackle construction of permanent school facilities, but added, "We're more worried about the next 24 days right now."
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/FEMA-doubles-back-on-disaster-declaration-for-city-of-West-218108111.html
FEMA doubles back on major disaster declaration for city of West
August 2, 2013

 ::snipping3::


The April 17 fertilizer plant blast there killed 15 people and injured more than 300. The explosion at the West Fertilizer Company left a crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep. The Insurance Council of Texas has estimated losses at more than $100 million, including $17 million worth of repairs on the city’s underground infrastructure.

FEMA had already vowed to give $2.8 million to help rebuild the schools damaged or destroyed in the explosion –– the state had asked the federal government for $40 million in disaster aid for the wrecked campuses, which was denied.
On June 12, FEMA shot down the state's request for federal dollars, saying, in a letter obtained by the Associated Press, that the explosion was “not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration.” The federal government did, however, accept requests from 775 individual residents.

On July 9, Gov. Rick Perry formally appealed the decision.
“The scope of damage caused by April’s explosion has devastated this small community, and further inaction by the Obama Administration to deny additional federal aid is simply unacceptable,” Gov. Perry said in a prepared statement then. “On behalf of the people of West and McLennan County, I am appealing the president’s decision in order to get this community assistance they qualify for, deserve and need to get back on their feet and on the road to recovery.”

At the time of the initial rejection, West Mayor Tommy Muska said $57 million would've been available from the federal government. A release from the White House announces the edict but does not say how much will be designated. 
"We're very pleased that the funds were approved," said Karen Burnsen, executive director of West Longterm Recovery. "t takes a lot of the pressure off the mayor and the City Council to try to find the funds that will be necessary to replace the infrastructure that was damaged due to the disaster."

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/DA-No-Evidence-Linking-Ex-Paramedic-to-West-Blast-218458991.html
DA: No Evidence Linking Ex-Paramedic to West Blast
August 5, 2013

WACO, Texas - The Texas Rangers have turned up no evidence linking a former paramedic from a small Central Texas town to a fire and explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town.
 ::snipping3::
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna says the Rangers report showed no evidence to link Bryce Ashley Reed to the blast. Reyna tells the Waco Tribune-Herald, however, that he still has more material to review.

Reed remains jailed on federal charges that he possessed bomb-making materials. He recently completed a court-ordered mental evaluation.

Restore West ISD, West, Texas


http://www.restorewestisd.com/

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Texas-plant-responders-died-of-trauma-blast-218849091.html
Texas plant responders died of trauma, blast
August 8, 2013



WACO, Texas (AP) -- Autopsy results for emergency responders killed in a fiery Central Texas fertilizer plant explosion have shown all died of blunt force trauma or blast injuries.

Fifteen people died and about 200 were hurt as a result of the April 17 blast at the plant in West. Ten victims were first-responders rushing to the initial blaze.

The Waco Tribune-Herald reported Thursday on autopsy results for 14 of the 15 victims. The other report wasn't immediately available.

At least half of the firefighters were wearing protective gear when their bodies were recovered.

The victims also included a 65-year-old woman discovered at an apartment complex and a 96-year-old nursing home resident also died of injuries sustained in the explosion.

 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-explosion-victims-killed-by-blunt-force-trauma-autopsies-reveal/article_8ffeed84-9cf0-517c-9d35-63d1eb627c8b.html
West explosion victims killed by blunt force trauma, autopsies reveal
August 8, 2013

 ::snipping3::
“Blunt force trauma” or “blast injuries” are cited as the cause of death for all of the volunteer firefighters and West residents killed in the April 17 explosion following a fire at the plant. The autopsies were performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas.
Several suffered burns or “thermal injuries,” and one of the volunteer firefighters had inhaled smoke while combating the flames that engulfed the fertilizer plant, triggering the explosion.
In one of the reports, the medical examiner noted that the blunt force trauma was so extensive, it is unlikely the thermal injuries contributed to the death.
McLennan County Justice of the Peace David Pareya ruled the deaths accidental.
The Tribune-Herald obtained autopsy results for 14 of the 15 victims killed in the blast. The other report was unavailable at press deadline.
The documents outline the grim injuries that struck the victims, including multiple skull and bone fractures, deep lacerations, and exposed or missing organs. Some of the men also had amputated limbs and one 
was decapitated.
At least half of the firefighters still were covered in some of their protective gear — like firefighter coats and jumpsuits, gloves and work boots — when their bodies were recovered.
One of the autopsies noted that a firefighter was wearing a metal necklace with a cross pendant and carrying more than $1,000 in cash that apparently remained intact.
Autopsies also note that three of the volunteer firefighters who rushed to the scene from homes or other locations had blood alcohol levels above 0.08, the legal driving limit in Texas, while blood tests showed another had THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his system.
Most of the firefighters’ remains were discovered within hours of the explosion just before 8 p.m., with Dallas firefighter Kenneth “Luckey” Harris Jr. the first to be found in the rubble at 10:25 p.m.
Eight more were found by 
12:30 a.m. April 18. The last explosion victim to be found was 65-year-old Judith Monroe, discovered at 3 p.m. April 18 in an apartment complex, near the fertilizer company, that was destroyed.
A 15th victim, 96-year-old nursing home resident Adolph Lander, died a day and a half after the explosion in a local hospital of a cardiovascular event and injuries sustained in the explosion.
The autopsies do not distinguish whether the blunt force trauma was caused by objects striking the victims as they fought the fire or if the injuries were sustained from the concussion impact of the explosion.
The Center for Disease Control & Prevention states that high-order explosions, including those involving ammonium nitrate, can cause blast injuries from shock wave pressure exuded from the explosion site.
Investigators ultimately concluded that 28 to 34 tons of highly flammable ammonium nitrate in a wooden bin exploded at the plant.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Autopsy-results-reveal-alcohol-THC-in-system-of-3-West-firefighters-218940381.html
Autopsy results raise policy questions in West fire response
August 9, 2013

 ::snipping3::
West's Mayor Tommy Muska says the firefighters who sacrificed everything didn't hesitate to answer the call for help before the explosion in mid-April that rocked the town of West.

However, on Thursday, News 8 obtained autopsy reports that the mayor said indicate three of the responding firefighters shouldn't have answered the call.
"No, they shouldn't have gone to the fire," Muska said.

The report shows heroic brothers Douglas and Robert Snokhous, of West, had blood-alcohol levels well above the legal limit. Douglas had a blood alcohol level of .12 and Robert .158.

"That's a city policy that you don't get in a fire truck if you were drinking and you don't go to the fire," Muska said.

Abbott firefighter Jerry Chapman had cannabis in his system, according to the autopsy report. It showed THC levels of 45 ng/mL.

"I truly think they're all still heroes and this didn't diminish my opinion of them in the least," Muska said.

The mayor said there's no written code about operating under the influence, but said it's a common understanding among firefighters. The mayor said he expects the fire chief to reiterate the rules to the firefighters.

But, the International Association of Fire Chiefs does have this rule:

"[It] is a "zero-tolerance" standard about the use of alcohol by members of any fire or emergency services agency/organization at any time when they may be called upon to act or respond as a member of those departments."

The mayor said he knew the autopsy reports would come out at some point and urged families of the victims not to read them, sometheing he said he didn't do as well.

"I don't need to read it," he said. "There's nothing in there I need to read and there's nothing that's going to bring those guys back."
 

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/judge-grants-motion-delaying-reed-trial/article_db5d90d7-ade1-5337-931d-53efab4363e6.html
Judge grants motion delaying Reed trial
Posted: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 12:01 am | Updated: 2:31 am, Wed Aug 7, 2013.

A federal judge granted a 
continuance Tuesday in Bryce Reed’s case, pushing back the 
trial date for the former West paramedic charged with possession of materials to make a small pipe bomb.
Reed had been set on U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr.’s plea docket for this week 
before his attorney, Jonathan Sibley, asked for the continuance 
Monday.
Smith granted the motion Tuesday and moved Reed’s trial from Aug. 19 to Sept. 23.
Sibley said Reed never intended to plead guilty and is looking forward to trial.
“We are glad the judge granted the motion so we could have more time to evaluate all the evidence,” Sibley said. “He is back in Waco and looking forward to being able to address the allegations against him and preparing for his day in court, where we get a chance to present his case.”
 ::snipping3::
Reed recently was transferred from the private Jack Harwell Detention Center to the McLennan County Jail, where Sibley said he is being kept in a segregation cell because of the high-profile nature of the case.
The 31-year-old spent six weeks in a federal medical facility in Fort Worth under court-ordered evaluation. He returned to the Waco jail last month.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said Monday that a comprehensive Texas Ranger report on Reed after his arrest in the alleged pipe bomb case contains no evidence linking Reed to the fire and explosion at the fertilizer plant.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-High-School-football-field-returning-to-action-219074301.html
West High School football field returning to action
August 10, 2013

WEST –– David Woodard once played on football field at West High School.
"I still remember every game I played on here. I still remember the scores," said Woodard, who this year, became the head coach of the team and the District's Athletic Director.
Now his football field is best known as the place where as many as 200 of the injured were cared for the night the fertilizer blew up, killing 15. The response tore up the turf and left if it covered in medical waste.  On Friday, West ISD said it would complete it's re-sodding of the field.
“It will be a place of healing," said Woodard.
Back in town, Brian Anderson, who works at the nearby Pizza House Restaurant thinks so too. He played for West.  So did his son, who just graduated.
“It'll be sad. Lots of mixed emotions remembering all the people are aren't there to take part in it," said Anderson.
The surface is grass, at a cost of $250,000 –– far less then the $900,000 originally approved.
The district backed off that number after Congressman Bill Flores said the price tag looked bad at a time when all of the ISD’s campuses need repair and could hurt efforts to get federal aid. 
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/cruz-to-speak-at-west-benefit/article_52d0b0f9-8c40-58a2-bf8a-fc30c5f0c601.html
Cruz to speak at West benefit
Posted August 11, 2013, Updated August 12, 2013

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will headline a fundraiser benefiting victims of the West explosion at a McLennan County Republican Club event Aug. 22 at the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.
 ::snipping3::
Cruz will meet with West officials before the event to bring them up to date on relief efforts for the town, devastated by a fertilizer company explosion April 17.
U.S. Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan, will also attend and has agreed to underwrite a portion of the expenses for the event.
Other underwriters include state Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan; District Attorney Abel Reyna; McLennan County Commissioner Will Jones, whose precinct includes West; and the 
Waco-based law firm Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC.
Texas singer-songwriter Chris Low will perform, including the tribute song he wrote about the town of West (“Shaken Not Stirred”) in the days after the explosion. 
A limited number of VIP tickets will be sold for $150 and include a private cocktail reception with Cruz, a professional photograph with the senator and the same benefits as general admission tickets.
Table sponsorships are available for $1,000 and entitle the purchaser to eight VIP tickets, premium seating and recognition during and after the event.
General admission tickets are $50 and also limited. 
Admission includes a buffet dinner, entertainment, cash bar and main program. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets or sponsor a table, contact the club by e-mail at mcrctx@gmail.com or visit www.mcrctx
.org.
 ::snipping3::
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a major disaster declaration for West, which means the agency will now reimburse West 75 percent of funds spent to rebuild the city. City leaders hope to fund the other 
25 percent through private-sector donations, volunteer efforts and other donations.

http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/entertainment_in_waco/songs-for-west-texas-cd-aims-to-help-park-rebuilding/article_853bf300-4901-538f-8949-78e28171b238.html
‘Songs For West, Texas’ CD aims to help park rebuilding
August 11, 2013

 ::snipping3::
 Other help, such as the new “Songs For West, Texas” CD, took more time to prepare, but represents another part of the ongoing efforts to support the small town’s recovery.
Sixteen area bands and performers, predominantly in country music, contributed songs and tracks for this project. Some are West-specific in their lyrics, others more general in praise for the courage of first-responders, sadness for the loss of whose who died or respect for a small town pulling together for its own.
John Dempsy’s “Heroes and Angels” leads off the CD and his raw emotion and pain over the West tragedy sets the tone for much of “Songs For West,” Texas” a sincere act of sympathy and respect for those affected by the explosion. Several other songs that surfaced in the days after the blast are included in the CD. I recall Chris Low’s “Shaken Not Stirred,” Rushin Steele’s “How West Was One” and Joel Wood’s “The Comma,” though I’m sure the CD has others that were written in the explosion’s immediate aftermath.
David Doran wrote “Song in the Sky,” which The Midnight Trio performs, and did a lot of the heavy lifting on the compilation in soliciting songs and performers as well as handling the recording’s audio and mastering in his Analog Ears Mastering Facility. Waco musician Tea Aguilar created the CD’s graphics.
Performers on the CD in addition to the previously mentioned songwriters are Casey Kelley, Tea Aguilar, Common Ground, Shane Howard, Jeremy Lynn Woodall with Billy Joe Shaver, Dale Dillard and Jerry Davis, Jameson White, Steve Dansby, M.W.G., Doc Mojo and Travis Kounty.

 ::MonkeyCool::

http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/entertainment_in_waco/songs-for-west-texas-cd-aims-to-help-park-rebuilding/article_853bf300-4901-538f-8949-78e28171b238.html

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/texas/west-pushing-toward-first-day-of-school
West pushes toward first day of school
Debris is being replaced with new gym, classrooms
August 13, 2013


WEST, Texas (KXAN) - The first day of school will mark a new beginning for the West Independent School District.

Aerial images of the damaged middle school and high school were some of the most memorable after the fertilizer plant explosion on April 17, 2013.

Now, less than four months later the debris has been cleared to make way for new portable classrooms.

A construction zone is cornered off with a chain link fence around the area middle school and high school students will share.

Maintenance crews hauled in new desks on a trailer Tuesday and placed them inside a classroom. Across the way, construction crews worked on a temporary gymnasium the district is calling the "Tro-Dome", short for Trojan Dome, named after their mascot.
 ::snipping3::
Employees have been busy sorting boxes full of donated backpacks, pencils, pens, rulers, colored chalk, highlighters, paper, scissors and tape -- just to name a few things -- and distributing them to classrooms.

All of the items came pouring in by the truckload after the explosion. One of the first deliveries came from a Central Texas school district that knows tragedy first hand.

"One of the first donations we got was from Bastrop ISD and it was hand sanitizer and disinfectant," said Hungate.

Inside the one campus untouched by the blast, West Elementary, is a classroom packed with donated backpacks that are being organized by grade.

Down the hall fourth grade Language Arts teacher Lois Leggett is getting her room ready. She used teach on the Intermediate campus until the explosion. Next to her desk is a brick from the site with the date of the tragedy written across the front in permanent marker. She also added the name of every employee.

"It will stay right here on the shelf," said Leggett. "It's important for me to remember everyone that was there because some people had to move on because there wasn’t really a place for them anymore after the school was destroyed."

With less than two weeks to go until the first day of school, West ISD has no doubt they will be ready to go.

"It's going to be a photo finish, but absolutely it can happen and we are completely dedicated to that goal," said Hungate

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8613/1/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/
A bittersweet back-to-school
Four months after the deadly explosion, West rebuilds in time to get back to school.

(http://i.imgur.com/Ny1Re6V.jpg)
New temporary gym called the Tro-Dome for the West High School Trojans.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

(http://i.imgur.com/D78UB7v.jpg)
New temporary gym called the Tro-Dome for the West High School Trojans.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/8613/168129/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/a-bittersweet-back-to-school/
A bittersweet back-to-school
Four months after the deadly explosion, West rebuilds in time to get back to school.

(http://i.imgur.com/n96vUwF.jpg)
A sign near campus offers an upbeat message.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

(http://i.imgur.com/dYDPBUT.jpg)
Desks for the new portable building.
Credit: Erin Cargile/KXAN)

More photos at link. 

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130817-west-firefighters-singular-mission-was-protecting-town.ece
West firefighters’ singular mission was protecting town
Published August 17, 2013, Updated August 18, 2013

 ::MonkeyTears::

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/headlines/20130817-west-firefighters-singular-mission-was-protecting-town.ece
West firefighters’ singular mission was protecting town

Slide show with six images.

http://blog.mysanantonio.com/texas-politics/2013/08/lawmakers-schedule-aug-26-hearing-on-west-explosion/
Lawmakers schedule Aug. 26 hearing on West explosion
August 19, 2013

 ::snipping3::

Officials with the Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Department of State Health Service and Texas Ag Industries Association are scheduled to speak.

The House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee scheduled the hearing Monday. It’s set to begin at 10 a.m. on Aug. 26 and is billed as a follow-up to legislative hearings held in May and June and on the explosion.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Ex-West-paramedic-freed-pending-pipe-bomb-trial-4754778.php?cmpid=hpts
Ex-West paramedic freed pending pipe bomb trial
August 22, 2013

WACO — A former Central Texas paramedic has been released on bond pending trial on a federal charge that he possessed pipe bomb materials.

A federal magistrate set a $25,000 bond on Thursday for Bryce Ashley Reed. The 31-year-old former West paramedic's trial is set for Sept. 23 in federal court in Waco.

Reed was arrested shortly after an April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West that killed 15 people, injured hundreds and devastated much of the small town near Waco. McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna told the Waco Tribune-Herald two weeks ago, however, that Texas Rangers have turned up no evidence linking Reed to the plant fire and explosion.
 ::snipping3::

Slide show with 10 images.

http://www.kcentv.com/story/23234615/bryce-reed-allowed-to-bond-out-after-detention-hearing
Bryce Reed Allowed to Bond Out After Detention Hearing
August 22, 2013

(KCEN) –  Former West paramedic Bryce Reed was released on a $25,000 bond on Thursday after a Federal U. S. Magistrate ordered  he could be released under certain conditions and under the supervision of his mother.

Reed was indicted by a Grand Jury back in May for possession of an unregistered destructive device, after pipe bomb making materials were found and were said to be his.  The detention hearing on Thursday took about 45 minutes with a special ATF agent and Reed's mother taking the witness stand.

ATF agent Daniel Jones testified and gave a detailed timeline of the events leading up to Reed's arrest. He says on April 26th during a funeral service for Cyrus Reed, one of the first responders who was killed in the plant explosion, Bryce Reed's wife made comments that both Cyrus and Bryce "liked to use explosives and blow things up in the back yard".

That same day, Jones says Reed then contacted two friends to remove a few items from his home and bring them to the hotel he was staying at. The box of items was then given to another friend to put away.  He says Reed "seemed relieved when the items were taken from his home".

Jones testified on May 7th the friend became curious and looked inside the box and found two ammo cans filled with a pipe, chemicals, fuses, and other bomb making materials. That friend then called several other people, who then called the McLennan County bomb squad. The ATF was then contacted.

ATF agents then put a wire on the friend who met with Reed. During that meeting the friend told Reed agents had the materials. Reed was quoted as saying "Oh [explicative], did they take everything? Oh [explicative]… my prints are all over it".

Reed was then arrested after a search warrant. A computer was also seized and agent says the laptop had documents containing instructions on how to make bombs.

The federal prosecutors wanted the magistrate to deny Reed's release before the trial, saying he was a danger to the community and his charges fell under a crime of violence for having destructive devices. Prosecutors also said Reed was obstructing justice because he was trying to hide the materials through friends, one of whom was a convicted felon.
 ::snipping3::

The magistrate took all the testimony and the pretrial recommendation to release Reed to his mother, under consideration and ruled Reed could be released on Thursday.

Federal prosecutors never mentioned the allegations Reed could be connected to the plant explosion. "Bryce had nothing to do with that. At this time we are ready to put that connection to bed because it's not existent," Sibley said.

Reed's trial on the possession of destructive device charge is expected to begin on September 23rd.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Ex-West-Paramedic-Jailed-On-Explosives-Charge-Released-220726991.html
Ex-West Paramedic Jailed On Explosives Charge Released
August 22, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/ptab121.jpg)
Bryce Ashley Reed leaving the McLennan County Jail Thursday evening. (Photo by Matt Howerton)

WACO (August 22, 2013)--Bryce Ashley Reed, the former paramedic who was accused of possessing bomb-making material in the aftermath of deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West, was released to the custody of his mother and stepfather after a federal hearing Thursday afternoon in Waco.

Reed left the McLennan County Jail at around 6 p.m. Thursday.

U.S. Magistrate Jeffrey C. Manske ordered his release on a $25,000 unsecured bond, but set some conditions.

Reed must be under the constant supervision of either his mother or stepfather, cannot use drugs or alcohol and may not have contact with any potential witnesses in the case.

His mother is allowed to administer prescription medication to him.

“He’ll get out without putting money down at this point because he’s not a risk of flight and I don’t think anybody’s alleged that he...is somebody who’s not going to show back up to court,” Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley said.

Reed was indicted on May 14 by a federal grand jury in Waco for possession of a destructive device.

He was never linked to the April 17 explosion that killed 15, injured hundreds and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings.
 ::snipping3::
More...

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/community/Michigan-fire-department-comes-to-the-aid-of-small-Texas-town-220971461.html
Michigan fire department comes to the aid of small Texas town
August 24, 2013

When a fertilizer depot in West, Texas caught fire and exploded earlier this year, the impact in nearby Abbott, Texas was pretty tremendous, too.
"The ground shook on April 17th. It shook all of us," said Abbott Mayor Anthony Pustejovsky.
Abbott didn’t hesitate to help its neighbors in West. "If something happens to West, it happens to Abbott and vice-versa, so it was a very natural thing for everyone to get together and respond," the mayor said.
The small fire department in Abbott lost two firemen and a fire engine in that blast. But on Saturday morning the department that sacrificed so much received a remarkable gesture of mutual aid.
The president of the Abbott Volunteer Fire Department, Doreen Strickland, was overwhelmed that firefighters came all the way from Ada Township in Michigan to drop off one of their perfectly good fire trucks that was being retired.
"To this department it's hard to say... words just can’t express what everyone is going through today," she said.
Ada Township firefighter Lt. David Murray was aboard the engine as it slowly drove into Abbott.
"You make that last curve and you see the streets lined with people... you know it hits you deep in your heart," he said. "You know they are the same as we are. I’m sure if we needed something, they would help us."
In addition to the much-needed equipment, the Michigan firefighters also brought a $10,000 cash donation — an amount almost equal to the Abbott Fire Department’s entire annual budget.
And punctuating the big deliveries was a small touch that meant just as much — the names of the Abbott firefighters who perished are inscribed on the side of the donated truck.
 ::snipping3::

 ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Private-Donations-For-West-May-Finally-Be-Released-221116921.html
Private Donations For West May Finally Be Released
August 25, 2013

WEST (August 25, 2013) -- Nearly $4 million dollars in private donations for the City of West and its citizens may be handed over to the West Long Term Recovery Center soon.

Charles Matthews, the Long Term Recovery Center’s President, told News 10 Sunday that the non-profit is ready to start the process of receiving and dispersing funds.

The estimated $4 million in donations have sat idle since the West explosion. The funds have remained harbored and untouched at the town’s two banks and the Waco Foundation.

City leaders set up the Long Term Recovery Center so the money could eventually be funneled there.

But obtaining a 501(c)3 designation, and creating a model for how the money was to be dispersed caused delays.

"Those organizations who have the funds did what they should have done,” Matthews said.

“They were to hold onto the funds until we were able to show them we understood what was needed to be done correctly and lawfully."

The Long Term Recovery Center obtained their 501(c)3 designation in July, but a method for dispersing current and future donations was yet to be determined.

Matthews calls that a final puzzle piece they now have.

"We've written a set of procedures and presented them to the Waco Foundation and the banks in town," Matthews said.

It will now be up to the Waco Foundation and the two banks in town to hand over the money.

The Waco Foundation is expected to propose the transfer of their funds to their financial committee on Tuesday night.

According to Matthews, if funds are released to the Long Term Recovery Center, residents will be required to fill out paperwork for aid, and an unmet needs committee will then work with them on their claim.

Matthews also said that many other charitable organizations haven’t donated money because a process wasn’t in place to receive and disperse funds.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/Students-in-West-coming-home-for-new-school-year-221153381.html
Students in West coming home for new school year
August 26, 2013

EST, Texas (AP) -- Students displaced after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion earlier this year damaged their Central Texas town's campuses are coming home for the start of the new school year.

When classes resume on Monday, students in the town of West will be back in familiar surroundings as well as in some temporary structures.

Thanks to an ongoing restoration plan, students in grades pre-K through 5 will attend classes at West Elementary School, which received minimal damage. Students in grades 6 through 12 will be housed in temporary portables located at the existing West Middle School, which will be demolished. The damaged high school is still being evaluated.

The rebuilding of West's schools could take several years.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Tests-To-Identify-Cause-Of-West-Explosion-Not-Due-Until-2014-221178911.html
Tests To Identify Cause Of West Explosion Not Due Until 2014
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN (August 26, 2013)--Testing that could identify what caused the deadly April 17 explosion at the West Fertilizer plant is not scheduled until 2014, Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner told state lawmakers Monday.

Kistner said investigators still haven't ruled out that the blast was a criminal act, but he said chances are not great that they'll ever determine conclusively whether the electrical system at West Fertilizer Co. played a role in igniting the fire that led to the blast that killed 15 and injured about 200 others.
 ::snipping3::
Investigators determined that the fire that led to the powerful explosion was caused either by a battery-powered golf cart that was kept in the fertilizer and seed building in which the fire started, the building’s 120-volt electrical system or by an intentional criminal act.

Investigators recovered only a brake pad and an axle from the golf cart, which was not enough to allow them to determine whether the cart’s battery could have ignited the fire, but officials said there’s precedent for that happening.

Investigators determined the fire was not caused by spontaneous ignition, an earlier fire, a problem with the plant’s 480-volt electrical system that powered heavy equipment, anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, smoking or the weather, officials said.

As much as 64 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored in the building, 28 to 34 tons of which exploded, investigators said.

An additional 20 to 30 tons in the building and another 100 tons in a nearby rail car did not explode, they said.

In May the Department of Public Safety announced that DPS Director Steven McCraw had directed the Texas Rangers to join the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office in launching a criminal investigation of the blast.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/more-tests-to-solve-west-explosion-not-until-2014/nZcdx/
Fire marshal: Inspections refused since West blast
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas — Five facilities in Texas with large quantities of the same fertilizer chemical that fueled the deadly plant explosion in West have turned away state fire marshal inspectors since the blast, investigators said Monday.
A railway operator that hauls hazardous materials across Texas was also said to have rebuffed a state request to share data since the April explosion at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 people and injured 200 others. The company denied that Monday.
Regulators and state lawmakers at a hearing about the still-unsolved explosion were intrigued by the lack of cooperation. State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said "well, sure" when asked whether those facilities refusing to admit inspectors raised concern.
"In their defense, they may have a very good reason," Connealy said.
There is no state fire code in Texas. The state fire marshal's office lacks the power to make unannounced inspections of local businesses or compel facilities to open its doors.
After the West explosion intensified scrutiny of Texas businesses that store ammonium nitrate, Connealy's office sought to inspect about 150 facilities that keep more than 10,000 pounds of the potentially volatile chemical.
Testifying to the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, Connealy said about 60 inspections are complete and the rest should be done by October. He said he did not know why five facilities wouldn't let inspectors inside.
"They just didn't want the fire marshal to come on the property," he said.
Connealy declined to name the facilities, saying he didn't immediately know whether he could make that information public.
Democratic state Rep. Joe Pickett, chairman of the House committee, said the state has seen little pushback from the private sector since the blast.
"At this point, today, I would say that any resistance is more just fear of the unknown than anybody trying to hide or cover up some situation like West," Pickett said. "I would believe if somebody thought they had something that was really dangerous, the only reason they would say no was to get it fixed that day."
The state Department of Health Services is allowed to make unannounced visits at the facilities, though to collect different information. Kathryn Perkins, an assistant commissioner in the agency's regulatory division, said fire marshal inspectors can accompany her agency on those trips but acknowledged they could still be turned away.
"It'd be interesting to see if that happens," Perkins said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/news/lawmakers-address-west-explosion
Lawmakers address West explosion
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It has been two months since a Texas House panel tasked the State Fire Marshal's Office to come up with a plan to help prevent another explosion like the one at the West Fertilizer Company this spring.

Fire Marshal Chris Connealy says the assignment was challenging, because his office has some major limitations.
"When you're looking at fire code enforcement, you need a fire code,” said Connealy during a follow-up hearing on Monday.

But the state does not have one.

"So you don't have the authority to go in and require inspection,” Rep. Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas, said to Connealy.

And counties are not required to have their own fire marshals either. Those that can afford them have the authority to inspect chemical manufacturers, distributors and storage sites.

"County fire marshals…do have the authority,” Connealy said. “Most counties in Texas do not have a county fire marshal."

Including McClennan County, where West is located. Unless the legislature changes the rules, Connealy said he has no choice but to ask chemical sites to allow his office to inspect them voluntarily.

So far, 62 have agreed, but five have said no.

“By far, most of them are wanting us on their property,” he said. “They want the information and assistance, and we will continue moving in that direction."

Connealy said his office still has to inspect about 150 sites, and it expects to wrap up sometime in October. Then in November, it will launch a new website to let Texans know how close their homes are to those locations.

In response to the West explosion, President Barack Obama issued an executive order earlier this month. It tasks federal agencies to review safety rules at chemical plants.

The President said he wants agencies to look at new ways to safely store ammonium nitrate, the explosive that caused the West explosion.

The State Fire Marshal's Office said it will also know more about firefighters' response before the explosion sometime early next year. It is called a "line of duty" report - something required after a firefighter dies in the line of duty.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-High-takes-the-field-for-1st-football-game-since-plant-explosion-221746121.html
West High takes the field for 1st football game since plant explosion
Posted on August 29, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Updated yesterday at 12:10 AM

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/football-returns-texas-town-hit-plant-blast
FOOTBALL RETURNS TO TEXAS TOWN HIT BY PLANT BLAST
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
— Aug. 29 10:59 PM EDT

Does this mean much, if anything any time soon?   ::MonkeyNoNo::

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/breaking-news/feds-issue-new-safety-guidelines-for-handling-fert/nZhnx/
Feds issue new safety guidelines for handling fertilizer that caused West explosion
August 30, 2013

Federal officials Friday issued new safety guidelines for the handling and storage of ammonium nitrate, the chemical that caused a devastating explosion in April at a fertilizer plant in West.
The recommendations do not yet have the force of federal regulations. But the safety advisory, jointly issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, would be the first step toward plugging the gap in regulatory oversight of ammonium nitrate, a normally stable fertilizer that can become highly combustible under the right conditions.
They could also be a prelude to requiring companies which handle the chemical to submit risk management plans that inform the public of the potential hazards. More than 10 years ago, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board recommended the EPA include such reactive chemicals in its risk management program. At a congressional hearing in June, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., criticized officials of the agency for having failed to do so.
In making its recommendations, the advisory cites “lessons learned” from major industrial accidents worldwide involving ammonium nitrate, including the West explosion, which resulted in 15 deaths and damaged hundreds of buildings. For instance, it warns against storing the chemical in combustible structures or near dust-producing organic materials such as grain and seeds; both hazards existed at West Fertilizer prior to the blast.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/west-set-to-hold-st-westfest-since-blast/article_6f5dc828-d195-5e49-8c29-44efaa739459.html
West set to hold 1st Westfest since blast
August 31, 2013

WEST (AP) — The town of West has thrown open the annual celebration of its Czech heritage — the first Westfest since a deadly fertilizer plant explosion tore through the small Central Texas community.
The festival, which opened Friday and runs through Sunday, will proceed as usual this year with few reminders of the explosion that killed 15 people in April.
There will be a brief moment of silence, and first-responders who died in the explosion will be recognized as honorary grand marshals in the Saturday parade, but organizers hope to stick to Westfest traditions that have stayed more or less the same for decades.
Attendees can listen to a polka band, watch traditional dances or try their hand at a kolache bake-off. There will also be plenty of sausages, beer-bread sandwiches, sauerkraut and pivo, Czech for beer.
The festival, in its 38th year, not only brings business to West, but it also serves as a nonprofit event that reinvests in local organizations. Local groups apply for funding, and money made at the festival goes into a pool. Then the funds are given out to chosen applicants. Depending on the year, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 has been spread among community organizations, Hurtick said.
More...

http://www.westfest.com/

"Rules" or "Guidelines" ?


http://www.kvue.com/news/221925051.html
New rules for chemical storage in wake of West explosion
August 31, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/CfVukpj.jpg)
Credit: WFAA
News 8 observed a truck driver unloading 25 tons of potentially explosive ammonium nitrate at a nondescript wooden building just one block away from the town square in Athens, Texas.

The federal government has released new guidelines for ammonium nitrate storage, fallout from April's deadly explosion in West, Texas.
One measure: Businesses should not store the chemical fertilizer in fire-prone wooden bins.
News 8 investigations uncovered two Texas facilities storing ammonium nitrate that way, one in Athens and another in Emory.
 ::snipping3::

15 of the LTRC's 441 "clients have completed that process".  Why is that?  What's the bottle neck? 

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-relief-officials-prepare-to-release-funds/article_b72a7858-9873-5fad-96ba-86ac53d0e9ca.html
West relief officials prepare to release funds
September 1, 2013

Officials with the West Long-Term Recovery Center say they are close to beginning the distribution of nearly 
$4 million in donations, but most victims aren’t yet in a position to receive those funds.
The nonprofit agency has created an “unmet needs” committee to consider individual cases and is nearly 
done drafting policies for how to parcel out the money.
The Waco Foundation transferred its remaining $1.7 million to the recovery center last week. Soon, center officials expect to get more than $2 million from bank accounts in West overseen by the Catholic Diocese of Austin.
Long-term recovery center executive director Karen Bernsen said the distributions to victims could start as early as mid-September, but the timeline is not yet firm.
Agency officials will participate in a town hall meeting on the recovery process at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the West Community Center, 205 Tokio Road.
In the last few months, case managers with the United Methodist Committee on Relief have been working with victims to help them determine and document their need for recovery assistance. But so far only 15 of the LTRC’s 411 clients have completed that process, Bernsen said.
That is a challenge for the unmet needs committee, she said, because it only can give out money to victims who have a personal recovery plan approved by the case 
managers.
Bernsen said some residents in West are complaining about the pace of the process, but the West LTRC cannot simply divide up the money among the victims.
“This is what people are screaming about: Why do we have to walk through this muck of bureaucracy?” Bernsen said. “But the rules are in place to maximize the use of our funds.”
The long-term recovery committee has access to about $2 million at West banks in addition to the $1.7 million transferred from the Waco Foundation.
The Waco Foundation had been designated to oversee some $2 million in donated funds for the West recovery effort. The foundation already had set aside about $300,000 for the volunteer fire department.
Distribution process
The Waco Foundation has paid for tax attorneys and accountants to provide advice to the long-term recovery group on the distribution process. Foundation officials said they want to make sure that the distributions meet donor intent and conform with IRS law.
Because the donations are tax-deductible, the agency must have a process to determine need, taking into account victims’ losses as well as their personal financial resources, insurance and available government aid, Waco Foundation executive director Ashley Allison said.
She said the process is going as fast as can be 
expected.
 ::snipping3::
Bernsen said it is important to exhaust all other sources of revenue before tapping the general donation fund.
She said if the committee just split the money evenly and handed out checks to 411 victims, each would receive less than $10,000, and that wouldn’t be enough to rebuild West.
“What we’re trying to do is make that stretch as far as it can go,” she said. “The disaster recovery model we’re using has been proven time and time again to be the best practice. It’s not something we created.”
Bernsen said she is encouraging West victims to continue working with the case managers on the slow process of getting qualified for the recovery money.
“That’s what takes the longest time, and it’s very difficult, but case managers are trained to do this,” she said. “It’s not about getting back exactly what you lost, but (getting back to) what is a safe, sanitary and secure situation so you’re going to be OK.”
If you go
What: Town Hall on West recovery effort.
When and where: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the West Community Center, 205 Tokio Road, following 5 p.m. council meeting. Mayor Tommy Muska will preface the town hall discussion with an update on progress of West’s infrastructure recovery.
To participate: Send questions regarding the recovery before the meeting to citysecretary@cityofwest.com

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/widow-of-west-firefighter-receives-new-home-in-waco/article_ffecfb5e-2853-55fc-a621-7120e98240a5.html
Widow of West firefighter receives new home in Waco
August 28, 2013

Donna Beseda has shed a lot of tears since her husband, Doug Snokhous, was killed April 17 fighting the fire at the West Fertilizer Co. plant.
Two days after the massive explosion that also damaged their rent home, Beseda fell and broke her arm in two places. The injury caused more tears of pain and sorrow, leaving her unable to work at her flower shop in West.
But Tuesday brought tears of joy as Waco Mayor Malcolm Duncan Jr. officially welcomed her as a Waco citizen and she accepted the key to her new home. Located in the 2600 block of North 42nd Street, the house was donated by a group of companies that wanted to help someone affected by the West tragedy.
“I was a stranger and y’all have treated me like family,” Beseda said, surrounded in her new living room by representatives of the groups. “Receiving this home is a real blessing and an opportunity for a new start.”
Beseda said she was reluctant at first to leave West, where she and Snokhous lived during their 13 years of 
marriage.
“I really didn’t want to live in Waco, but once I saw this house, it changed my whole idea,” she said. “Then I started crying happy tears after that. Doug was happy every day of his life. Nothing really ever got him down in the dumps. I can be happy like that now living in this house.”
The 1,766-square-foot home is valued at $121,000. It sits on an ivy-covered hill on a large lot that features sprawling oak trees, a swimming pool and a bright-yellow playhouse for the couple’s grandchildren to play in.
Beseda will have no mortgage payments on the home, but will be responsible for paying property taxes, insurance and maintenance.
“This home will allow me to do the grandmother thing, like baking cookies and having the kids over for family events,” she said. “I’m very excited and very grateful for everything everyone has done for me.”
Snokhous, 50, died along with his younger brother, Robert, 48, in the explosion. The close-knit brothers were longtime employees of Central Texas Iron Works in Waco.
 ::snipping3::
Beseda’s new home was acquired through a multi-partner nationwide program that donates foreclosed properties to injured first responders, veterans or their families.
Bank of America foreclosed on the home and donated it in partnership with the National Community Stabilization Trust, an organization that works with banks and nonprofit groups to help renovate foreclosed homes and stabilize neighborhoods.
The home was transferred to the Texas State Affordable Housing Corp., a nonprofit company that works with groups to repair foreclosed homes and to find eligible low-to-moderate income buyers.
TSAHC officials joined forces with NeighborWorks Waco and Brooke Community Development, which made about $35,000 worth of renovations to Beseda’s home.
Roy Nash, executive director of NeighborWorks Waco, said he called West Fire Chief Gene Nors, who attended Tuesday’s house-warming ceremony, and asked him to recommend a worthy candidate for the home. He suggested
Beseda.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/frustrations-mount-at-west-town-hall-meeting/article_e9a061a5-c016-5094-b502-0b47f76030af.html
Frustrations mount at West town hall meeting
Posted: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 12:01 am | Updated: 1:10 am, Wed Sep 4, 2013.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-isd-officials-discuss-next-steps-for-rebuilding-schools/article_730e01e8-3724-598c-bcd7-f2e409940d79.html
West ISD officials discuss next steps for rebuilding schools
September 12, 2013

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/courts_and_trials/trial-postponed-for-former-west-paramedic/article_54a18c05-b74f-58e1-b963-93785515f62f.html
Trial postponed for former West paramedic
September 20, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/VoH02vO.jpg)
Reed


Former West paramedic Bryce Reed’s trial on charges he possessed materials to make a small pipe bomb has been postponed from Monday to next month.
Reed’s trial now is set for Oct. 15, with a scheduled date of Oct. 10 should Reed, his attorney and federal prosecutors work out a plea agreement.
Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said that while he remains in discussions with federal prosecutors, he is preparing for the Oct. 15 trial date.
“I am meeting with my client, reviewing evidence and discovery and preparing for trial at this point,” Sibley said.
Reed, 31, remains free on bail and is living with his parents in North Texas as a condition of his release.
Reed, who was released Aug. 22, had been in custody — in jail or at a federal medical facility — since his arrest May 9.
He was indicted in May for possession of materials to construct a small pipe bomb, weeks after the devastating April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West.
He faces up to 10 years in a federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Sibley has said since Reed’s arrest that Reed had nothing to do with the fire at West Fertilizer Co. that caused the blast.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said after reviewing a comprehensive Texas Ranger report on Reed that no evidence exists linking Reed to the fire or explosion at the plant.
Federal authorities have declined comment on that. But Reed is charged only with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
A former West paramedic and Abbott volunteer firefighter, Reed has said he helped evacuate residents near the West fertilizer plant before and after the explosion that leveled much of the small town.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/226292091.html
Financial payouts to start in West, but questions persist
October 3, 2013

WEST — The West Long-Term Recovery Center is moving ahead with plans to distribute millions of dollars in private donations that have funneled into the town since a deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people.
Perhaps as many as 20 families could see a check next week, said John Crowder, who sits on a board that oversees the center.
 ::snipping3::
But the timing of the announcement comes as a growing number of West residents are starting to ask pointed questions about why nearly $3.6 million in private donations are yet to be distributed.
"Why has it taken six months to get this money to people?" asked Sharon Rios.
Her mother, Elizabeth Maler, lost her home of nearly 40 years in the blast. Maler has some insurance money, but was still counting on a check from the recovery center.
"I've waited and waited and never heard anything," she said.
Mayor Tommy Muska said he has also heard some complaints, but stressed that the center had to undergo a lengthy process of 501 (c)(3) status approval before it could really start moving.
"It takes time to do it right," Muska said. "It is a relief that next week it could start."
As WFAA reported earlier this summer, the 501 (c)(3) status actually happened months ago, but there were other legal and logistical matters that needed to be ironed out, Crowder said.
On top of that, he says because of IRS regulations, families that have filed for help need to exhaust every penny from FEMA and other resources before getting a check from the center.
Rios said they appreciate the complications, but don't understand why it wasn't handled differently from the get-go.
"Some people have moved on, and it's too late," Rios said.
Details on the criteria for deciding which families receive money — and when — are expected to be announced at a Thursday news conference.
A committee separate from the board of the recovery center is expected to evaluate more than 500 cases, or potential recipients.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kxan.com/news/texas/senator-shutdown-stops-west-blast-investigations
Senator: Shutdown stops West blast investigations
Also hampering efforts to improve chemical safety
October 9, 2013

DALLAS (AP) — The partial government shutdown is delaying the federal investigation of the fertilizer plant explosion in West and efforts to improve chemical safety, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California said.

Deadlines set by President Barack Obama for Cabinet members and agency heads to review and overhaul regulations, safety practices, data-sharing and emergency response won't be met, Boxer, a Democrat who is chairwoman of the Senate's environment and public works committee, told The Dallas Morning News.

The first deadline, for agencies to submit proposals for improvements, is Nov. 1.

Obama issued his executive order on Aug. 1. The order imposed a series of deadlines and multiple federal agencies had to submit preliminary proposals for improvements.

Boxer said Tuesday those will "definitely be delayed."

The shutdown also is delaying the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's final report on the April 17 blast at the West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 and injured more than 300 others.

"That explosion is a prime example of the situation we're in now, where the agencies that are supposed to come up with ways to make sure this never happens again just can't meet," she said.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency that investigates industrial accidents, has furloughed 37 of its 41 employees, chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said.

Among the furloughed are 10 who remain part of the West inquiry. Moure-Eraso says that as a result, an Oct. 24 meeting between the safety board's staff and West residents is in question. So, too, is the spring 2014 completion date for a final report on the explosion.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/hot-fair-presents-donation-to-west-ffa/article_8571ba4a-a33b-539e-b320-59b1e2db1f22.html
HOT Fair presents $5,000 donation to West FFA
October 9, 2013

West FFA experienced the “heart” part of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo firsthand Wednesday when it received a donation from the fair to rebuild an agricultural barn that was destroyed in the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion.
Fair officials presented a $5,000 check to West FFA during Wednesday’s rodeo to use toward a new barn, which would accommodate student shop projects.
Wednesday also served as West Night at the rodeo, which allowed West residents to receive discounted admission.
“We discussed it amongst our board and felt like that’s where we, as an organization, would be most helpful because of the fact that we are an agricultural-based and scholarship-based (organization),” said Wes Allison, executive director of the Extraco Events Center, which organizes the fair.
 ::snipping3::
Tim Sullins, an agricultural sciences teacher and co-director of the West FFA program, said a new barn is needed to give students lab experience in various mechanical and skilled trades, such as welding, plumbing, small-engine repair and carpentry.
The previous agricultural shop sat behind the high school and included two classrooms, a computer lab and an open-air workshop. The shop had also been used to allow students to groom and prepare livestock for show, Sullins said.
 ::snipping3::
Around 245 students are in the West FFA program. Sullins said classes now are limited to a portable classroom, which does not allow enough room for lab exercises.
 ::snipping3::
The donation supports a larger statewide fundraising drive to boost the West FFA.
The Texas FFA Foundation in the summer set up a fund to collect donations to rebuild the West barn. That fund held $90,500 as of last week, Sullins said.
Sullins said a new barn structure will be installed later this month at the site of the former West Intermediate School, which had to be demolished this summer because of the damage from the explosion.
Some of the donations will be used for the barn, which is being provided at a discount from Houston-based Rigid Global Buildings, while the remaining funds will help purchase new equipment to replace items destroyed in the shop. Sullins did not know the cost of the new barn.
Ideally, once West rebuilds a new high school and agricultural science area, the new barn will become a transportation maintenance facility for the district, Sullins said. West lost its school buses and storage barns during the explosion, which damaged or destroyed three of the district’s four schools.

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/labor/texas-fertilizer-plant-cited-for-safety-lapses/nbKyH/
Texas fertilizer plant cited for safety lapses
October 10, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Texas company that operated a fertilizer plant where a thunderous explosion in April killed 15 people is facing $118,300 in fines for two dozen serious safety violations, including a failure to have an emergency response plan, federal officials said Thursday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said West Fertilizer Co. committed violations that included unsafe handling and storage of two fertilizers, anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate. The facility, which OSHA had not inspected since 1982, was also cited for inadequate labeling of storage tanks, failing to pressure test replacement hoses and not having respiratory protection or appropriate fire extinguishers.
The agency issued the citations Wednesday, but due to the government shutdown, they were not disclosed until Thursday, when Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., announced them in a conference call with reporters.
Dan Keeney, a spokesman for the West Fertilizer Co., said the company's lawyers were reviewing the citations and proposed fine. The company has 15 days to pay the fine or file an administrative appeal with OSHA. OSHA's proposed penalties could be reduced.
"Based on what they see so far, it doesn't appear that the violations that are alleged have anything to do with the accident, but they're still reviewing it," he said.
There is a separate state criminal investigation underway, too. Investigators previously narrowed the number of possible causes to three: a problem with one of the plant's electrical systems, a battery-powered golf cart, and a criminal act. They ruled out others, including a rail car on site loaded with fertilizer or someone smoking.
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The mayor of West, Tommy Muska, said OSHA's citations were inadequate. He blamed the agency for failing to inspect the facility since the early 1980s and said the violations announced Thursday are like "shutting the door after the cow is already out."
Had the facility been inspected every five years, for example, instead of every 30, some of the problems might have been discovered ahead of time, and the explosion and deaths could have been prevented, Muska said. He noted that many rural communities have similar plants either near or in downtown areas. In May, The Associated Press drew on public records in 28 states and found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the sick. More than a half-dozen states, including Ohio, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho and South Carolina, refused to provide information to the AP about dangerous facilities, citing the risk of terrorist attacks and their interpretations of federal law.
Fertilizer plants need a closer look, Muska said. "We can be Monday morning quarterbacks all year long, but what we really need to do is try to prevent this," he said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/227244851.html
West ex-EMS to plead guilty in pipe bomb case
October 10, 2013

WACO, Texas (AP) — A former West paramedic is expected to plead guilty after being accused of collecting materials for a pipe bomb, in a case unrelated to the deadly fertilizer plant explosion.
Bryce Ashley Reed is scheduled to appear in Waco federal court Thursday afternoon. Reed's attorney, Jonathan Sibley, says he's reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
The 31-year-old Reed was charged with knowingly and unlawfully possessing a destructive device
 ::snipping3::
But authorities have never said Reed had any criminal responsibility for the blast.
A criminal complaint accuses Reed of leaving the pipe bomb materials with a friend who called authorities.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/former-paramedic-pleads-guilty-in-pipe-bomb-case/nbLSN/
Former paramedic pleads guilty in pipe bomb case
October 10, 2013
 ::snipping3::
In a deal with prosecutors, Bryce Ashley Reed pleaded guilty in federal court in Waco to one count of conspiracy to make a destructive device and another count of attempting to obstruct justice, according to court documents. The agreement heads off an Oct. 15 trial for Reed.
The 31-year-old former West paramedic was never linked by authorities to any criminal responsibility for the April 17 blast in his close-knit hometown where he is well-known. The explosion at West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 people, including 10 first responders and two others volunteering to fight an initial fire.
But his arrest and the allegations leveled by federal authorities shook West. In the days immediately after the blast, he told victims’ families and residents that they were safe and offered information about what had happened, even as federal and state authorities declined to answer many questions and other first responders clammed up.
Days after his May 9 arrest, it came out that Reed had been dismissed from his volunteer position as a West firefighter. The family of a firefighter who died in the blast, Cyrus Reed, would disavow Bryce Reed’s claims — in interviews and at a public memorial — that the two men were like brothers, either in blood or in friendship.
A criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives accused Reed of giving a metal pipe, chemical powders and other materials to an unknown person who contacted authorities.
The federal arrest prompted state and local authorities to open their own criminal investigation. But neither federal nor state authorities have accused anyone of committing a crime related to the explosion.
The Texas State Fire Marshal and the ATF declared the cause of the blast as “undetermined” one month after it happened. They said they could narrow the number of possible causes to three: a problem with an electrical system, a battery-powered golf cart and a criminal act.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-conducts-do-over-in-city-administrator-vote/article_55036a07-3c4a-5770-8ded-c9b8a9f71313.html
West conducts ‘do-over’ in city administrator vote
October 12, 2013

West City Council members have called a special meeting for Monday to hire a city administrator because their Oct. 1 vote did not comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act and is not valid.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Monday at West City Hall and is expected to vote — for a second time — to hire West native Shelly Nors as West’s first city administrator.
The administrator, the city’s top position reporting to the council, will oversee 19 full-time city employees and focus on grant-writing, economic development and steering West on its path to recovery from the April 17 explosion at West Fertilizer Co.
Monday’s meeting is necessary because when city council members voted to hire Nors on Oct. 1, the council’s agenda did not contain an item to authorize that action.
Council members interviewed Nors and finalist Boyce Wilson, an emergency preparedness planner for the Heart of Texas Council of Governments, in closed sessions before the Oct. 1 regular council meeting.
When they emerged, both Mayor Tommy Muska and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Vanek said the council would take no action that night on filling the newly created position. But, without further discussion, the council voted to hire Nors at the end of the meeting despite no agenda item authorizing it.
Jim Hemphill, an Austin attorney and a board member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said if a government body takes a vote on a matter that is not included on an agenda or has not been properly noticed to the public, it can be “voided.”
“If someone were to take action to void it, like file a lawsuit under the Open Meetings Act, the court would certainly void it. However, the act does give governmental entities broad discretion to do what I would call a do-over.
“If an act is voidable, and at a subsequent meeting they give proper notice and redo it, it becomes valid and is no longer voidable by law,” Hemphill said.
West City Attorney Walter M. Reaves Jr., who attended the closed interviews but left for another engagement before the city council meeting started, said he was unaware that the council was going to vote on the city administrator’s position that night.
West City Secretary Jennifer Schaffer said Monday’s meeting was called “just to make sure and double-check that everything is in order.”
The Tribune-Herald requested copies of Nors’ and Wilson’s résumés and credentials after the Oct. 1 interviews. City of West officials initially refused to release the documents. Later, officials said they would provide the materials, but as of press time Friday, they had not done so.
Nors lives near West and works at Ozark Leather, 3000 Dutton Ave., which dubs itself “The Saddle King of Texas.”
Nors declined an interview with the Tribune-Herald this week, saying she was too busy closing out matters at her current job. She already had accepted West’s job offer based off the earlier vote.
‘Beyond honored’
“I am beyond honored and excited to be chosen as the city administrator for West,” she wrote in a statement. “I am a local. I am very passionate about my community and the people in it. I am looking forward to getting started and being an advocate for the city and the citizens of West.”
Nors is a 1998 graduate of West High School and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas State University.
“She has got some good management skills with her previous employer,” Muska said. “She manages about 60 people, and that is what we need, somebody good with money and with good human resource management skills. I think she fits that bill.
“A lot of people know her. She is a local. That was not the definitive reason. She is a smart cookie. She is very smart. I think we made the right decision.”
Nors will earn $50,000 a year as city administrator.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-home-construction-spikes-228084011.html
Home construction spikes in West
October 16, 2013

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Nearly 150 building permits for remodels and new construction have been issued since early summer, according to town officials in West.
There have also been more than 100 properties demolished in the wake of the powerful blast.
Willie Zahirniak and his wife will move in within weeks, not months, to their new brick home.
It sits about 200 yards away from the explosion site.
"It's good to see all the homes rebuilt," he told News 8.
But Zahirniak and others in this Central Texas town admit there are still a lot of sites sitting empty.
One local Realtor said some are listing for as little as $25,000, their owners concluding that makes more sense than trying to rebuild.
Earlier this month, the Malers told News 8 they were still undecided about whether to rebuild in the spot where their mother, Elizabeth, had lived for decades.
"The taxes here with the town and school improvements... we just don't know," said Sharon Maler Rios.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/safety-reforms-moving-forward-after-west-disaster-despite-delay/article_8d6ecf82-8edc-500f-aab2-cc9c8c8ee1c7.html
Safety reforms moving forward after West disaster despite delay
November 1, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Thursday was supposed to be the deadline for a group of federal agencies to make a preliminary report on how to improve reporting and storage requirements for potentially dangerous chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, which was the cause of the West blast.
But the October government shutdown crippled the process, and the agencies won’t be able to meet that deadline set by President Barack Obama’s Aug. 1 executive order on chemical safety.
Environmental Protection Agency officials Thursday said the Chemical Facility Safety and Security Working Group is expected to provide a progress update in early December. The final report was originally due in April, but EPA officials Thursday didn’t have a revised estimate for that deadline.
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security will hold a public “listening session” on the proposed regulatory improvements 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the College of the Mainland, 1200 Amburn Road in Texas City.
West Mayor Tommy Muska said that despite the delay, he’s hopeful the agencies will make reforms that will prevent more chemical disasters like the one that devastated his town. He supports better government oversight and information-sharing on hazards at fertilizer plants and other chemical facilities.
 ::snipping3::
In the case of West Fertilizer Co., the facility was in theory regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, EPA and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as state and local authorities.
But critics of the regulatory system say the agencies failed to adequately monitor or share information with each other about the large stockpile of ammonium nitrate at the plant.
Also, OSHA had not inspected the plant since the mid-1980s and, as a result, missed fire hazard violations involved in storing flammable seed next to the fertilizer.
The executive order asks the agencies to create a plan for sharing chemical data among themselves and with state and local public safety officials. The plan also calls for more stringent storage requirements for ammonium nitrate, a common nitrogen fertilizer that can be explosive in conditions of heat and pressure.
The order also requests new agreements that will assure that the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has access to information from other regulatory and investigative agencies when the CSB does its scene investigations.
CSB officials have complained that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms excluded CSB investigators from the scene and restricted their access to evidence.
The CSB investigation of the West disaster still is moving forward, but it also was delayed by the government shutdown.
CSB officials had hoped to hold a community meeting in West Oct. 24 to discuss preliminary findings but are now looking at a January meeting.
CSB recommendations
Waco-McLennan County Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Patterson said he has talked with CSB officials about their recommendations, which would include fireproofing and sprinkler systems for areas storing combustible materials such as ammonium nitrate.
Patterson said he supports those measures.
“Anything you can do to minimize the impact to citizens and the community is important,” he said. “I’m sure they’re going to come out with a good recommendation.”
Muska agreed that sprinkler systems and fireproof storage should be required for ammonium nitrate.
And he said government officials need to hold owners accountable for keeping up with modern standards.
 ::snipping3::
In other West news this week, Muska turned in an application for about $2.2 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster aid for public infrastructure, including streets, parks and utilities.
FEMA already has given emergency assistance to the city and individual West residents, but Obama’s disaster declaration this summer allowed for more long-term help. Muska said the school district will be seeking additional FEMA aid.
Muska said the city’s requests in the FEMA application were “very moderate” and included only damage that could be well-documented.

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/projected-rebuild-costs-for-west-isd-about-half-of-original/article_97bc73ff-fd2a-5eb1-a050-b503fafe7040.html
Projected rebuild costs for West ISD about half of original estimates
Posted: Friday, November 1, 2013 5:01 pm | Updated: 1:08 am, Sat Nov 2, 2013.

New projected costs for rebuilding West Independent School District structures damaged in the April 17 fertilizer blasts are about half of what was first predicted.
Originally, officials thought it would cost about $117 million to rebuild West Intermediate and West High schools, but employees from Bartlett Cocke, the district’s construction manager, have tentatively put estimates at $50-60 million.
Both Bartlett Cocke and Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives still are analyzing the damage and have not nailed down an exact cost yet.
“We feel very positive about the numbers currently out there,” Superintendent Marty Crawford said. “Certainly it’s less than originally projected.”
He said the early estimates were high because they were put together just two weeks after the explosion before the data could be accurately analyzed.
 ::snipping3::
West ISD submitted a proof of loss of $53 million to its insurance company. The policy, provided by Trident and its parent company, Argo Group, is worth about $60 million, but the company originally offered about $25 million.
School officials still are negotiating with the insurance company to determine a payout, Crawford said.
The amount of money FEMA will kick in has yet to be determined. School officials must first decide on a funding model.
The board could opt to rebuild the schools in one of three pre-Hurricane Sandy methods, or the post-Sandy method.
The pre-Sandy methods do not cap the amount of funding the district can receive, but there are more restrictions on how the money can be used.
The post-Sandy method caps the amount of funding to the district, but the money is given up front and there are fewer restrictions on it.
The board of trustees must decide on a funding method by May, but Crawford said the decision will be made well before then.
One option of funding the district has not pursued is litigation. The city of West and many individuals have filed lawsuits against CF Industries and Adair Grain, but Crawford said suing isn’t necessary at this point.
“We haven’t seen a need to go after anyone, as far as litigation goes,” Crawford said. “We’re staying out of that fray.”
Construction cannot begin until funding is in place, but demolition of the old buildings and design of the new ones already have begun.
Bartlett Cocke employees now are focused on demolition of certain parts of the old West High School building, said Kevin Byrd, vice president of operations for the Central Texas office of Bartlett Cocke.
The selective demolition will allow Bartlett Cocke employees to determine what renovations need to be done, Byrd said.
“We’ve really been working countless hours with FEMA, insurance companies, the architects and the school district to analyze the rebuild costs of each of the buildings,” Byrd said.
Demolition for the high school is set for Dec. 1. School officials hope to have all construction completed by January 2016.

http://www.kwtx.com/ourtown/home/headlines/West--Symposium-Set-On-Invisible-Effects-Of-Deadly-Explosion-230287391.html
West: Symposium Set On Invisible Effects Of Deadly Explosion
November 1, 2013

WEST (November 1, 2013) Army Capt. Paul Hammer, a medical doctor who’s the former director of the Defense Center on Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, briefs West residents Saturday on the lasting, but invisible effects of the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15, injured several hundred and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings.

In the aftermath of the explosion, he says some residents may be suffering some of the same symptoms as troops who’ve returned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

In an explosion, he says, the atmosphere is instantly changed, and a vacuum is created, which can have a significant effect on the brain.

The condition is called Blast Induced Neurotrauma or BINT and it requires special medical equipment to identify it, he said.

Hammer says many in West who say they have no problems and feel no side effects from the blast, actually may just not know how much they have been affected.
 ::snipping3::
Symptoms include chronic irritability, anger, difficulty sleeping and not eating, he said.

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-High-School-closes-out-first-season-following-tragedy-Friday-night-231250671.html
West High School closes out first season following tragedy Friday night
November 8, 2013

Video at Link

http://tpr.org/post/learning-west-explosion-safety-and-security-tracking-fertilizer-plants
Learning From The West Explosion: Safety And Security In Tracking Fertilizer Plants
November 8, 2013

Texas Matters: An update on the Texas state fire marshal's online tool to locate ammonium nitrate facilities in the state like the one that exploded in the town of West. Are communities safer from this kind of a disaster?
 ::snipping3::

Ammonium nitrate storage in Texas after the West explosion

On April 17, the town of West, Texas, was leveled by an explosion at the local fertilizer plant.

A fire broke out at the plant and the local volunteer fire department was sent in. Soon after there was a terrible explosion that killed 15 people and destroyed or severely damaged more than 150 buildings including local schools.

Since that fateful day, little has changed in Texas to avoid another explosion of that kind. In the last legislative session, no new laws or regulations were passed that required stricter guidelines or enforcement for the storage of large amounts of ammonia nitrate fertilizer.

The people of West and their volunteer fire department did not know that they were living in a blast zone. How could they prepare and train for the impending disaster if they were never told about the risk?

Now the Texas Fire Marshal’s office has launched a website that allows Texans to search for large amounts of the explosive ammonium nitrate.

Chris Connealy is the Texas state fire marshal:

"This is primarily a local jurisdiction issue. They have this facility in their community and we just want to help facilitate conveying information of the best practices that are related to both storage of the product [and] what to do if an incident occurs -- whether it be first responders, the community, emergency management personnel -- so that they have some resources and information."

http://www.tdi.texas.gov/fire/fman.html

Clickable link in original article to listen.

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/West-Doctor-Revisits-Site-of-April-Plant-Explosion-232571071.html
West Doctor Revisits Site of April Plant Explosion
November 20, 2013

(http://i.imgur.com/v9fYurk.jpg)

Video at Link

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/crime/ex-ems-from-devastated-texas-town-faces-sentencing/ncBGj/
Ex-EMS from devastated Texas town faces sentencing
December 4, 2013

DALLAS — A few weeks after Bryce Reed proclaimed he would personally protect a Texas town devastated by a deadly fertilizer plant explosion, he was arrested by federal agents who said he collected materials to make a pipe bomb, driving suspicion that he might have had something to do with the blast.
Now, Reed is mostly a footnote. While he will be sentenced Wednesday in Waco for charges related to the pipe bomb, the former paramedic was never charged in the explosion in West, about 80 miles south of Dallas. There, residents and town officials are still working to rebuild homes and schools destroyed in the blast.
"I don't know if anybody's paid much attention to that guy," said Tommy Muska, the town's mayor. "In my opinion, he had absolutely nothing to do with the explosion."

 ::snipping3::

Reed's May arrest came as federal investigators and the State Fire Marshal's Office were in the middle of an investigation that had not yet yielded answers, leading to questions about whether Reed had any role in the blast. The Texas Rangers and the local sheriff's office immediately announced after Reed's arrest that they were opening their own criminal investigation. Neither investigation has led to any criminal charges.
Reed's attorney, Jonathan Sibley, has repeatedly called on federal authorities to clear Reed and said Reed never intended to hurt anyone.
"If there was anything out there that anybody had linking Bryce Reed to the West Fertilizer plant ... we would have seen something about that," Sibley said in an October interview. He did not return several messages this week.

http://www.kxan.com/news/texas/former-paramedic-sentenced-in-pipe-bomb-case
Former West paramedic sentenced in pipe bomb case
Case was not linked to fertilizer plant blast
December 4, 2013

DALLAS (AP) — A former paramedic in the tiny Texas town where a fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people was sentenced to 21 months in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty in a pipe bomb case that isn't linked to the blast.

Bryce Reed cried as he repeatedly apologized for collecting a metal pipe and chemicals that could have been used to make an explosive and then trying to hide the materials from authorities after the April 17 explosion in the town of West.

Reed has never been blamed by authorities for the explosion at West Fertilizer Co., where an initial fire detonated stores of ammonium nitrate in a blast that caved in homes and schools that were blocks away. But his arrest in the middle of a federal and state investigation led to questions about whether he was involved.
 ::snipping3::
Reed pleaded guilty in October to conspiring to make an unregistered firearm and attempting to obstruct justice. He and his attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said he loved pyrotechnics and explosives, but never intended to harm anyone.

"It was just more of a stupid mistake by a couple of guys who live out in the country," Sibley told U.S. District Judge Walter Smith.

Reed described his actions as a "horrific and terrible mistake."

"There's nothing I can say to repair my life," Reed said Wednesday as his mother, stepfather and siblings watched from the gallery.

Smith sentenced Reed to 21 months on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

In court and in an interview before the hearing, Reed expressed his regret to the residents of West, where he had been a paramedic and lived with his now-estranged wife and their young daughter. He said he felt he could no longer go back there.

"I can't tell you what it's like to have your face associated with the worst day of your life, and to be blamed for something that you didn't do," Reed told The Associated Press. "I lost my job. I lost my town ... I lost my wife, and she took my kid. And that was all in a 4-day period."
 ::snipping3::
It also later came out that Reed had misled people about what he saw the night of the blast and how close he was with one of the first responders who died. Reed was dismissed by West's EMS service a few days after the explosion.

Asked about what he said right after the blast, Reed told the AP that people who lost loved ones in the blast were able to persevere better than he has.

"I'm just not that strong," Reed said.

State and federal authorities in May officially declared the cause of the fire as "undetermined," listing three possible causes: a problem with one of West Fertilizer's electrical systems, a battery-powered golf cart or a criminal act. Their investigation remains listed as open.
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Column-calls-West-explosion-victims-ungrateful-234536311.html
Column calls West explosion victims 'ungrateful'
December 5, 2013

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Head-of-charity-in-charge-of-private-West-donations-to-resign-235637901.html
Director of charity in charge of private West donations to resign
December 12, 2013

WEST –– The woman in charge of the charity steering millions of dollars in private donations to victims of the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion will resign.
The West, TX Foundation’s board of directors announced Thursday that Karen Bernsen is vacating her post as head of The Long Term Recovery Center when a successor is appointed or by Jan. 30, the group said in a release.
“The Board has already begun searching for the individual who will fill that position and take West’s recovery to the next level. Mrs. Bernsen will continue helping with the recovery effort in a volunteer capacity when necessary,” the announcement reads.
 ::snipping3::
Bernsen issued the below statement after announcing her impending resignation: 
"After praying about this for months, the decision was reached several weeks ago to resign.  The timing was held in abeyance until the team was in place to support the continuing recovery efforts of the residents of West.  This has been the most challenging, yet rewarding work I have ever done, and it's been an honor to serve my community in this capacity.  As you will note in the press release, there have been so many positive achievements made by our partners and team members at the West LTRC, and I knew the time was right to return my focus to my husband and our four young children."
Bernsen penned a controversial column in the Thanksgiving week edition of The West News, calling some of those impacted by the blast “ungrateful.”
“Their attitudes are jeopardizing their recovery,” she wrote.
Her words incensed some residents, a few of whom called for her to be stripped of her position. Bernsen declined an interview with News 8 after the column but said in an email that she “received many more positive reactions about my article than negative.”
The Long Term Recovery Center has doled out $400,000 of the $3.6 million in total donations. A 15-person committee was established to determine which of the more than 500 applicants would get money, how much of it and when. That committee, Bernsen said, meets once a week.
She added that the center hired three additional caseworkers to expedite the claims. Mayor Tommy Muska and other city leaders have defended the distribution process, saying it took months for the center to receive a proper 501(c)(3) designation, which formally makes the group a tax-exempt nonprofit.
“When you’re working through it, it seems slow, but step back and say, ‘We’ve only been doing this seven months,’” Bernsen said then.
Bernsen said a statement is forthcoming. The resignation announcement does not list a specific reason for her departure.
In addition to Bernsen, Board Secretary Tiffany Bolton also announced her resignation. Dianne Friend will fill that position.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Recovering-West-residents-hopeful-for-bright-Christmas-and-brighter-future-235687191.html
Recovering West residents hopeful for bright Christmas and brighter future
December 12, 2013

 ::snipping3::
Pastor Crowder is on the board which oversees the roughly $3.7 million fund for long term recovery. He said about $500,000 has been approved for victims within the last month.

He said dispersal is getting faster, but is still too slow because the fund is tangled in IRS regulations.

“If you can show documentation that a contractor is building your home and he’s asking for this much money, we can write that check," he said. "We just need documentation."   

“When all that money goes into a 501(c)(3), it's all subject to IRS rules and regulations," said West Mayor Tommy Muska. “Unfortunately, there are some people -- it’s dragging on for them. All I can tell them is to be patient. And they don’t want to hear that. I don’t blame them. I don’t want to hear that either."

He said it might have been a mistake to create a 501(c)(3), but adds there was no play book to go by.   :2thinky:

But that’s the past. The future, he said, is getting brighter sooner than he expected.

Thursday night, Mayor Muska was putting up Christmas lights around the West welcome sign.

Video at Link

http://www.kvue.com/news/235820861.html
Demolition begins on West HS 8 months after deadly plant explosion
December 14, 2013

WEST, Texas – West High School is being torn down Friday as the town rebuilds from a horrific plant explosion eight months ago.
 ::snipping3::
Since then students have been going to portable classrooms.
A $50 million plan includes building a new high school and middle school. They are set to open in 2015

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/investigates/Ammonium-nitrate-storage-still-a-threat-despite-new-warningsguidelines-236104881.html
Ammonium nitrate storage still a threat despite new warnings, guidelines
December 16, 2013

Video at Link

http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/wests-first-responders-named-texans-of-the-year
West's first responders named Texans of the Year
All "those who answered the call" recognized
December 29, 2013

DALLAS (AP) — The residents of West, Texas, who tried to save their families and neighbors from an earth-rattling, life-changing fertilizer plant explosion have been named The Dallas Morning News' Texans of the Year.

The newspaper recognized all "those who answered the call" in West on the night of April 17. Twelve people who responded to the fire at West Fertilizer Co., died when it exploded. The newspaper also credited responders who were injured in the blast as well as those who treated the wounded and who worked to evacuate nearby residents.

Fifteen people died in total, but with an apartment building, nursing home and schools all next to the plant, many have said it was a miracle that so many people survived.

"A separation of inches and feet, seconds and minutes, determined who would live or die," said a Morning News editorial to be published Sunday. "A survivor is no less a hero. No less a Texan of the Year.
 ::snipping3::

Thank you to the Texas Rangers!   ::Baseball:: I've always been a Houston Astros (aka "disastros") fan, but I'm looking more and more toward the Rangers. (not to mention the addition to the Rangers fold of catcher JP Arencibia... ) ::MonkeyWink::  ::MonkeyHaHa::  :smt054  In Texas, we have a saying "you dance with those that brung you."  Well, the Rangers are bringing the recovery of West, Texas right along.  JMHO  So many or our small towns are sports oriented.  It's so good and kind the people in the small towns are not forgotten.  JMHO

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/rangers-still-helping-west-texas-after-explosion/ncnqs/
Rangers still helping West, Texas, after explosion
January 14, 2014

 ::monkeyscissors::

The Texas Rangers, who have made a $50,000 donation for West City Park, made a caravan stop Tuesday in the town of about 2,800 people less than 90 miles from their home ballpark.
"The Rangers organization has stepped up in more ways than one," said Podsednik, who was drafted by the Rangers before playing for seven other teams over parts of 11 major league seasons. "They've been incredible, very generous, very classy. West is a sports town, and there are plenty of Rangers fans here. I'm sure that they've made a lot more fans with these acts."
After the explosion last year, the team collected tens of thousands of essential items for West victims and residents, along with gift cards and $40,000 in cash donations at Rangers Ballpark. Players donated cash and equipment, and Major League Baseball also gave $100,000 to relief efforts. More than 1,000 individuals from the town later attended a City of West night at a Rangers game last July.
"It's amazing. ... If there's something that can come of this good, it's the show of humanity that's been shown to citizens of West," Mayor Tommy Muska said. "Such a gracious and generous donation by the players, and by the Rangers organization, and especially for the children that they helped with the baseballs and the equipment. That's really the heart of it."
A fire truck was parked outside the West Community Center, where players Mitch Moreland and Tanner Scheppers joined other members of the Rangers organization and were met by about 100 school children. That truck, with No. 27 on it, was donated last year to West's volunteer fire department by Lance Berkman when he was playing for Texas.
 ::snipping3::
The town's baseball fields are now behind the community center, where signage on a water tower recognizes Podsednik for being a 2005 All-Star and World Series champion. He hit the game-ending home run in Game 2 of the 2005 World Series for the Chicago White Sox against Houston.
When the explosion occurred, Podsednik was about 90 minutes away at his home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. His wife was on the telephone at the time with his mother, who lives about seven miles outside of West.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Former-West-EMS-Volunteer-Reports-To-Federal-Prison-240846411.html
Former West EMS Volunteer Reports To Federal Prison
January 17, 2014

TEXARKANA (January 17, 2014) Former West EMS volunteer Bryce Ashley Reed, who pleaded guilty in October to attempting to obstruct justice and conspiracy to make a destructive device, reported to federal prison Thursday to begin serving his 21-month sentence.

Reed's lawyer, Waco attorney Jonathan Sibley, said Reed turned himself over to federal prison authorities at the federal correctional center in Texarkana Thursday evening.

After completing his sentence, Reed must also spend three years on supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith also ordered Reed to pay a $2,000 fine and a $200 special assessment to the court.

 ::snipping3::

The former West paramedic, who was accused of possessing bomb-making material in the aftermath of the deadly April fertilizer plant explosion, was originally indicted on May 14, 2013 by a federal grand jury in Waco for possession of a destructive device, but later agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.

Sibley said Reed decided to enter the guilty plea last December because he wanted to accept full responsibility "for what he believes is his role in the allegations against him" and to spare family and friends from what Sibley said would likely have been "a hotly contested and long and drawn out jury trial."

Reed, who was released to the custody of his mother and stepfather on Aug. 22, 2013, was never linked to the April 17, 2013 explosion that killed 15, injured hundreds and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and buildings.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents arrested him on May 9 in West after pipe bomb components were found on May 7, 2013 at the home of an Abbott resident who "had unwittingly taken possession of the components from Reed on April 26," an arrest warrant affidavit said.

The components included a 3.5-inch by 1.5-inch length of galvanized pipe with end caps, in one of which was drilled a 1/8th-inch hole, the affidavit said.

Authorities also recovered hobby fuse, a lighter, a digital scale, a plastic spoon, six coils of metal ribbon, several pounds of chemicals in separate bags including potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, sulfur power, air float charcoal and aluminum power, the affidavit said.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives experts who inspected the material agreed that the components could "be readily assembled into a destructive device," the affidavit said.
Video at Link

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/west-explosion-on-list-of-2015-texas-house-issues/nc8X5/
West explosion on list of 2015 Texas House issues
January 31, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas — House Speaker Joe Straus wants lawmakers to investigate the West fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people and consider possible changes to state inspection and enforcement laws.
Straus on Friday included the West Fertilizer Co. blast among a lengthy list of issues for House members to study before the Legislature reconvenes in 2015. The directive calls for examining possible "deficiencies" in safety and disaster planning by chemical facilities.
 ::snipping3::
State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy testified in one hearing that several large fertilizer chemical plants in Texas have turned away inspectors since the West blast.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/could-latest-west-investigation-lead-to-safety-ins/nc8rg/
Could latest West investigation lead to safety inspections?
January 31, 2014

 ::snipping3::
While federal rules require ammonium nitrate to be stored in a separate building or set off behind a firewall, at West Fertilizer the chemical was stored in a wooden building with wooden wall between it and combustible seed. The plant also lacked a sprinkler system as required by national fire codes that were lacking at West.
Straus wants the committee to look at “deficiencies in safety, risk management, and disaster planning by chemical facilities and state entities” and “(d)etermine if any changes should be made to existing laws and rules relating to inspection, investigation, and enforcement.”
After the blast, the state fire marshal’s office tried to inspect other facilities that store ammonium nitrate, only to run up against the limits of its authority. Lacking the ability to conduct unannounced inspections or compel businesses to open their doors to inspectors, the agency was denied access at five facilities, which the state has refused to name.
Pickett said the committee would look at whether any new rules should apply just to ammonium nitrate or other chemicals.
Pickett also said the committee will look at the feasibility of adopting a statewide fire code, which some have said would also make it easier to conduct safety inspections at facilities storing large amounts of explosive chemicals.
After the blast, legislators quietly killed a bill that would have allowed rural counties, home to many fertilizer blending plants like West, to adopt fire codes. Texas is one of four states lacking a statewide fire code, according to an American-Statesman analysis, but goes even further, prohibiting counties with less than 250,000 from adopting one. (Smaller counties that abut larger counties are allowed to adopt fire codes, which would allow McLennan County, home to West, to do so if it chooses).
Pickett said he doesn’t expect the committee to call for an extensive regulatory overhaul. “We’ll come up with something that’s not overly burdensome,” he said. “I’m hoping this won’t become an issue with the conservatives.”
So far, state leaders have largely expressed an unwillingness to make major changes to Texas’s regulatory scheme in the wake of the blast.
A week after the blast, Gov. Rick Perry said that spending money on state inspections would not have prevented the explosion. “(People) through their elected officials clearly send the message of their comfort with the amount of oversight,” Perry told the Associated Press.
And at a September hearing on the West explosion, state Rep. Dan Flynn urged restraint in adopting more regulations. “If we’re not careful we could get like the federal government putting diapers on cows,” he said.
Pickett told the Statesman he hopes to produce recommendations by Labor Day.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/FEMA-to-give-West-ISD-20-million-to-rebuild-schools-244723911.html
FEMA to give West ISD $20 million to rebuild schools
February 10, 2014

WEST –– FEMA has granted the West Independent School District a $20 million grant to rebuild the high school and middle school that were completely destroyed in the fatal April 17 explosion.
Congressman Bill Flores (R – Texas) announced the grant Monday morning from the gym of West High School’s temporary home. About $1.9 million will go toward rebuilding the city’s 49,000 square foot intermediate school while $18.8 million will help fund the rebuilding of the high school, said Kevin Hanes, FEMA’s coordinating officer for the region.
The school board is expected to approve the schematic designs for the schools this week and take it to bid in June or July, said West ISD Superintendent Marty Crawford. He hopes to find a contractor by July and begin “moving earth” in early August. The schools should be finished by late 2015 or early 2016, he said.
 ::snipping3::
The West Fertilizer Co. plant exploded on April 17, leaving a 10-foot deep, 93-foot wide crater in the northern edge of town. Fifteen people were killed and more than 300 were injured. The middle school and high school were completely destroyed, as was a nursing home.
Estimates by The Insurance Council of Texas put the cost of damages north of $100 million, including $17 million to fix ruined infrastructure under the town.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency initially balked at providing money to help the town rebuild after the explosion. In a letter sent in June, FEMA initially said the blast “is not of the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster declaration.”
Gov. Rick Perry appealed the decision in July and by August the feds had reversed track.  The state initially requested $40 million to rebuild the destroyed campuses.  On Monday, Hanes said, “both the intermediate and the high school were completely destroyed and met our requirements for complete replacement costs.”
“This is the seed money that will help them put the pedal to the metal in the planning process and the reconstruction process shortly after that,” Flores said.
In the 10 months since the explosion, Mayor Tommy Muska said 56 new houses have been built, 122 new building permits have been issued for new construction and the rebuilding of the nursing home should start by March 15. He also said the city is waiting on state approval to begin fixing the road infrastructure and the pipes under the city.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.kwtx.com/ourtown/home/headlines/West--Town-Hall-Meeting-Scheduled-246954751.html
West: National Design Team To Help West Move Foward
February 25, 2014

WEST (February 25, 2014) An Atlanta-based firm of architects, engineers and designers has been hired by an organization of the local Catholic Diocese to help West residents dream and plan for the future in the aftermath of the deadly April 17, 2013 fertilizer plant explosion.

Forward West, a newly formed group of 14 city and business leaders, hosted a meeting Tuesday evening at the West Community center led by the firm, KAI Design Consultants.
 ::snipping3::
West’s new city administrator, Shelly Nors, says she is excited about the effort and hopes it will help residents look to the future rather than focus on the past.

“This team hopes to hear ideas and thoughts from the town’s residents to figure out how to get more people to come into our town even possibly stay for a night or two or even move here."

http://www.kbtx.com/news/tamu/headlines/Disaster-City-Adding-Props-Based-On-Scenarios-From-West-Explosion-and-Moore-Tornado-246969401.html
Disaster City Adding Props Based On Scenarios From West Explosion, and Moore Tornado[/b
February 23, 2014

Firefighters and first responders from around the world come to College Station each year to train at Disaster City.

And instructors want to make sure they're prepared for emergency situations of all sizes.

News 3 looks at some new additions coming after members of Texas Task Force 1 responded to the explosion in West, and the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma last year.

From fighting fires of all different types to searching through rubble, a simulated train derailment and building collapses, Disaster City is a hands-on place to learn and train to potentially save lives.

Jeff Saunders is the Texas Task Force 1 Operations Chief and says the new simulations being built include scenarios they encountered after the fertilizer explosion in West including not being able to use the stairs on some second story apartments.

"So a lot of the work we had to do was on an exposed front and this building is going to have a two story section to it that's going to let us teach our people how to access that second story without the use of anything on the building," Saunders said.

The newest additions to the most famous urban search and rescue training facility in the world is just one more way first responders can simulate disasters they might encounter in real life.

After the devastating E-F 5 Tornado last May in Moore, Oklahoma, they are also adding an underground tornado shelter covered in debris, to see if rescue dogs can find a person taking shelter underground.
 ::snipping3::

Video at Link

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Texas-fire-marshal-to-continue-ammonium-nitrate-tour-248224411.html
Texas fire marshal to continue ammonium nitrate tour
March 3, 2014

ATHENS, Texas (AP) — State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy is continuing to meet with local officials in Texas counties about the dangers of ammonium nitrate, the chemical that detonated in the West fertilizer explosion.
 ::snipping3::
The fire marshal's office has been tasked with studying the potential dangers of ammonium nitrate in Texas following last year's explosion in West, which killed 15 people and leveled schools and homes in the tiny Central Texas town.

In the absence of new regulations, Connealy is embarking on a 68-stop tour where significant quantities of ammonium nitrate are stored

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/health/west-nursing-home-ready-for-its-comeback-after-blast/article_9336e1a1-a582-55da-912b-66165ae91af5.html
West nursing home ready for its comeback after blast
March 6, 2014

The rebuilding of West Rest Haven nursing home is almost ready to begin 11 months after a fertilizer explosion destroyed the facility that had been West’s largest employer.
Construction will begin in the next two months on a new building, set to open in mid- 2015 across North Davis Street from the old nursing home.
Mayor Tommy Muska, who sits on the nursing home’s board, said the new facility will be a “milestone” in West’s recovery, bringing back dispersed elderly residents and nursing home staff.
More...

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Town-hit-by-explosion-prepares-to-mark-one-year-anniversary-249662221.html
West prepares to mark one year since deadly plant explosion
March 11, 2014

WEST, Texas -- In just five weeks, the community devastated by a fertilizer plant explosion last April that killed 15 people will hold an anniversary memorial to honor those that lost their lives.

The April 17 event will be West's official tribute, one year to the day from when the West Fertilizer Plant caught fire and exploded.

"It's a high-profile thing and we don't want to mess it up," said Benet Ayers, who along with eight others is heading up a "West 4/17 Forever Forward" committee to oversee the evening.

Ayers said up to 3,000 guests could show up to the town's fair and rodeo grounds.

"We're going to start with a prayer, some remarks, and then do a moment of silence at 7:51," she said. "Then, we'll see the faces of the 15 we lost, just in silence."

There also will be songs, a video tribute, and a speech by Mayor Tommy Muska.

City Secretary Jennifer Schaffer said the event will also strike an optimistic tone, emphasizing just how far the town has come in its rebuilding efforts.

"We can either build on [the explosion], or we can let it define us," she said.
 ::snipping3::

http://www.cityofwest.com/417memorial

http://www.kvue.com/home/254127801.html
'Rise up: West' debuts almost a year after blast
April 6, 2014

WACO -- More than 1,000 people attended the debut of the WFAA documentary "Rise Up: West" on Sunday afternoon.
The 66-minute story chronicles the journey of the West High School football team in the months after the April 17, 2013 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people in the Central Texas town.

::snipping3::

Coach David Woodard said he was a little weary before seeing the final product. He said he hopes the film resonates with the town as the one-year anniversary of the explosion nears.
“Despite what happens in our life, we have to pick ourselves up the next day and move forward," said Woodard, who is in his first year as coach of the Trojans.
WFAA photojournalist Mike Richard spent weeks with the Woodard family, recording images sunrise-to-sunset to capture the challenge of coaching a team that just experienced enormous devastation and loss.
 ::snipping3::
WFAA senior reporter David Schechter is the voice of the story. He said from the beginning it was important to focus on the town's future as seen through the eyes of the players.
“We tried to capture the essence of what it means to keep going forward," Schechter said.
The documentary will be broadcast on WFAA Channel 8 on Saturday, April 12 at 6 p.m.
Producers Jenny Lyon and Meagan Harris, along with photojournalist and editor Greg Johnson, were also integral parts in helping piece together the finished product.
West ISD also provided incredible access to its schools and students.
West Mayor Tommy Muska told News 8 after the screening he thought the end product was "really very good. A lot of time went into that."
The Trojans only ended up winning one game this past season, but Kolacek said the documentary does a good job of showing they're actually ahead in all the ways that matter.
"We went in there and tried our best," he said.

http://www.myfoxaustin.com/story/25243759/fire-chief-urges-changes-ahead-of-west-anniversary
Fire chief urges changes ahead of West anniversary
April 14, 2014

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The state fire marshal wants 46 facilities that store ammonium nitrate in Texas to make safety improvements following the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion last year.

State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy on Monday proposed new building requirements ahead of this week's anniversary of the April 17 blast at West Fertilizer Co.
 ::snipping3::
Connealy testified to a House committee that facilities similar to West Fertilizer should be given three years to either install sprinklers or retrofit their buildings to mitigate the potential for explosions.

But lawmakers are already warning of industry pushback.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Memorial-park-in-West-starts-to-take-shape-255366491.html
Memorial park in West starts to take shape
April 15, 2014

(http://i.imgur.com/YreqKBG.jpg)
Credit: David Baldwin
West City Park

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/Exclusive-new-video-of-West-TX-explosion-shows-power-of-blast-255538931.html
New video of West explosion shows power of blast
April 16, 2014

WEST, Texas — News 8 has obtained an exclusive new video of the deadly fertilizer plant explosion in West that illustrates just how powerful it was.
The images, taken by a father and son, give a clearer picture of the giant shock wave released by the explosion.
“I just happened to throw it up at about that time,” said Jeff Tobola, who shot the video with only a moment to spare.
He’s kept it private until now.
“You almost felt it," he said. "It was almost like electricity in the air because you actually saw it before  it actually happened."
 ::snipping3::
News 8 shared the video with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to get an explanation of what can be seen in the video. Citing an ongoing criminal investigation, the ATF declined to comment, but said it is reviewing Tobola’s video to help them determine the cause of the fire, which is still unknown.
However, Lt. C.T. Payne with the Garland Bomb Squad did review the video for News 8. It shows the entire ignition took only two frames of the footage — a fraction of a second.
“The first thing you’re seeing is the light from the blast itself,” Payne said.
Payne added the white cloud rising from the blast is a cloud of gas. Around it is what Payne says is the massive shock wave.
“What you’re seeing is as it’s coming off of it, that’s the shock wave that’s pushing out at the same time,” he said.
Which is exactly what Tobola felt.
“You felt that wave of energy just right through you," he said. "There’s no doubt you felt that."

Note:  There's a video at the link in the above article ^^^. 

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/25266161/state-awards-48m-to-west-recovery-efforts
State awards $4.8M to West recovery efforts
April 16, 2014

WEST, Texas (AP) - State officials say an additional $4.8 million in disaster assistance will be provided to the Central Texas community of West as it continues to rebuild from the devastating fertilizer plant explosion last year that killed 15.

 ::snipping3::
It will be used for work on water treatment and storage facilities, infrastructure repairs and other needs.
 ::snipping3::
The explosion that was so intense it registered as a small earthquake and left a 93-foot crater.