Posted on 04/17/2013 6:51:57 PM PDT by kristinn
A large explosion rocked the town of West, Texas, 19 miles north of Waco, on Wednesday evening.
A source tells News 8 that a large swath of the small town with a population of 2,800 has been leveled.
According to initial reports, the blast was at the West Fertilizer plant at 1471 Jerry Mashek Drive, about a half-mile east of Interstate 35.
(Excerpt) Read more at wfaa.com ...
Hmmmmmm. I see something interesting.....
I won’t say the color of most of the people in this town but this is conservative town in Texas where families and working people live. One can draw a pretty good conclusion from that information alone.
Now, looking through the pictures, I see lots of storefront windows shattered.
One thing I DO NOT see is looters. No people stealing TVs and AirJordans in the wake of a disaster. Only people helping the injured and helping clean up.
How is that possible? Hmmmm, thats interesting.
ATF heading over with canines, chemists, etc..
http://www.kxxv.com/story/22012665/atf-sends-team-to-plant-explosion-site
Look up BLEVE. Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion. Most likely cause of the explosion from the ammonia tank going up due to the fire.
Also: Under normal circumstances, anhydrous ammonia is not explosive. It has a very tight explosive range (13-15wt% in air). So their statement would be correct for an ordinary release from the tank. However, there was a massive fire raging - so there was an ignition source for the ammonia.
‘West Fertilizer Co. reported having as much as 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on hand in an emergency planning report required of facilities that use toxic or hazardous chemicals.
But the report, reviewed Wednesday night by The Dallas Morning News, stated “no” under fire or explosive risks. The worst possible scenario, the report said, would be a 10-minute release of ammonia gas that would kill or injure no one. “
And I will be very surprised if you see looting. Most of the settlers in this area are Czechs. They just work and live. They are usually very clean and neat people. It is part of their heritage. You’ll find the same lineage of people up around Kingfisher, Oklahoma for another example area. They handle their own problems but are grateful for help when it is offered.
This town will rebuild. You will probably not hear a word of remorse or bitterness about the plant or blame from within the majority of people in the town. They will just gather their resources and go to work.
Watch and see if I’m not right.
Maybe checking - just in case. Without at least taking a look, they can't rule out terrorism.
Personally, I think it was an accident (but I'm no chemical expert).
I’d bet the nursing home and apartments were built after the plant. And it’s not neccessary about taxes. It’s more about people having a job. And we know there’s no place that’s 100% safe.
I’d bet the nursing home and apartments were built after the plant. And it’s not neccessary about taxes. It’s more about people having a job. And we know there’s no place that’s 100% safe.
So you mean they won’t expect Hussein to come in and hand out $2000 debit cards to everyone?
They won’t expect free housing?
They won’t expect the gubmit to help them live off this disaster for years to come?
Only neighbors helping neighbors, working to rebuild? Never heard of such a thing.
Indeed. How could I have overlooked the Titanic. Went to see the traveling exhibit just recently.
“Proper urban zoning”??
No.
This is a small Texas town, rural in nature, touched on one side by the masses that travel north and south along the interstate.
These little towns don’t zone. They just grow (or shrink) slowly as they see fit. The fertilizer plant had been there for decades. Nobody was forced to live near the plant, nor were they prevented from doing so.
It’s called freedom. We do a lot of that in Texas. Usually it works out quite well.
The interstate and railroad, with all their hazardous cargo, also pose threats, but we live alongside them every day.
The “tax money” comment was snarky and unnecessary.
West makes more money off its heritage than it ever has off that fertilizer plant.
When Texas was an independent nation (and even before, as the nationalities of the heroes of the Alamo will attest), people came from many countries to settle here, even establish embassies and diplomatic ties. Many of them stayed. To this day, we have numerous ethnic Texas towns that integrate their original culture with our Texas independence.
West is Czech and well-known for its kolache shops and festival. We have the Germans of Boerne and Fredericksburg and the Hill Country, and Muenster and its surrounds, the Danes of Danevang, so many more.
If you want to consider West’s tax base, look at the kolache trade. It’s one of those places you simply can’t drive past.
If so, I’m glad I’ll miss the next cycle! ;-)
They are treating it as a criminal investigation ‘out of caution’.
Is this near you? Are you and your family ok?
Is this near you? Are you and your family ok? Please check in
I did not mean to be snarky and I am very grieved for this town that represents the best of America (I love Texas). However, I can’t help but wonder how much cheaper it would have been to move such a plant further away from occupied dwellings and a school just in case something horrible like this occurred.
History shows that life is not without risk, but looking at a first responders guide to hazmat incidents shows that these homes and structures were built well within the critical danger radius for much smaller amounts of the material that was present in bulk at this facility.
Risk mitigation dictates you don’t place a nursing home within 500 feet (apparently) of such a place. If we agree to disagree that is okay. Regardless, my prayers are with the people of West and those affected by this tragedy.
We had an even larger facility/chemical plant in the city where I was a first-responder and the potential for a massive disaster with hundreds or thousands of casualties was very real. An effort was made to help the company move out of the city and it was declined for financial and political reasons - seeing what happened there is very sobering. Relocating a plant like this would have been a few pennies on the dollar to what this will cost and it would have limited injuries and property damage.
Most likely, that is exactly what I mean.
If it goes otherwise I’ll be VERY disappointed.
When we had the fires in Montgomery County, Texas in 2011 people who were burned out had new homes, clothing, furniture, household goods and stocked pantries within two days. All done by the local people and churches. It was amazing. No questions asked and no drama.
Kind of you to ask, but no, I am from West Texas, not West, Texas ;)
That town is about an hour south of us here in Dallas and I have driven through there many times. Sounds like the situation there is very bad, but under control. I don’t think they even know how many people were killed. The Waco PD is running the media stuff because all the West cops and city people are running around trying to locate survivors, if they themselves have not been harmed.
I hope this turns out better than it sounds like right now.
Kind of you to ask, but no, I am from West Texas, not West, Texas ;)
That town is about an hour south of us here in Dallas and I have driven through there many times. Sounds like the situation there is very bad, but under control. I don’t think they even know how many people were killed. The Waco PD is running the media stuff because all the West cops and city people are running around trying to locate survivors, if they themselves have not been harmed.
I hope this turns out better than it sounds like right now.
Please don’t misunderstand me — I agree with you wholeheartedly. That plant, and others like it, is a dangerous place to work and to leave near.
We have a lot of those in Texas, both chemical and petro.
I think the point I was making, and not very well, is that common-sense dictates that people not live near such facilities. But freedom allows them to do dumb things.
The plant, which is on the outskirts of town, had been there for a long time and predated the neighborhood that had grown nearby. Common sense should have prevailed.
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