West Fertilizer Co., West, TX Explosion-15 Dead, Over 200 Wounded

[MuffyBee]

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...

[MuffyBee]

It's a real shame to see donations bottle necked by red tape/paperwork.   

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.
 

[MuffyBee]

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.     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? 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/215388601.html
Gov. Perry says Texans will work to help rebuild West
July 14, 2013

 

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.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional/devastated-texas-town-ponders-schools-future/nYsRS/
Devastated Texas town ponders schools’ future
July 16, 2013

[MuffyBee]

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.

[MuffyBee]

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.
 

[MuffyBee]

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!!

[MuffyBee]

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


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."
 

[MuffyBee]

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
 
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.

[MuffyBee]

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)

 
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.

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
Reed's trial is set for Aug. 19th in Waco's U.S. District Court.

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
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.
 

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
After the West blast, federal officials sent an e-mail to the Texas health department emphasizing the importance of such a survey.

[MuffyBee]

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

 

“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.
 

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
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.

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
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."
 

[MuffyBee]

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

 


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."

[MuffyBee]

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.
 
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.

[MuffyBee]

Restore West ISD, West, Texas


http://www.restorewestisd.com/