Homes and schools were destroyed, with the damage estimated to be over a hundred million dollars. This week marks a year since a fertilizer plant exploded in the small Texas town of West, killing fifteen, injuring over a hundred, and destroying homes and local schools.
In response to the deadly explosion six months ago in West, Federal agencies will soon be making recommendations to Congress on how to reduce the risk at fertilizer storage facilities.
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Where politics, government and energy intersect. Using less and saving more through ingenuity and efficiency. Background Tweet. July 10, U. July 2, Proposals to Prevent Another Fertilizer Explosion Immediately Meet Resistance The explosion at a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas last year took much more than fifteen lives.
April 14, Texas Still Considering Solutions to Prevent Another West This week marks a year since a fertilizer plant exploded in the small Texas town of West, killing fifteen, injuring over a hundred, and destroying homes and local schools.
About StateImpact StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. The explosion flattened the farming community, just north of Waco, turning some homes into rubble as residents tried desperately to flee the horrific scene. More than people were injured, NBC News reported.
The force felt was equivalent to that of a magnitude Ten first responders and two volunteers were among those killed while fighting the initial blaze before the blast occurred just before 8 p.
The U. The event occurred during the same week the nation was gripped by the Boston Marathon bombing. A memorial service for the victims in West drew then-Texas Gov. We're American, too. We stand with you and we do not forget. In the past three years, the tiny town has bounced back, slowly rebuilding and honoring those who died with annual remembrances.
Litigation also remains ongoing. The second worse danger at the plant on the report was a possible leak from a broken hose that was used to transfer the ammonia from one tank to another. The public safety officials and the Environmental Protection Agency wrote that this still was not an action that would cause any injuries. According to the documents about the plant, the facility workers claimed that there were no other dangerous chemicals at the location and that the company had implemented proper safety rules and was up to code.
Advisories on safe handling of the ammonia say that that the chemical is not even considered a serious explosion risk when it is in the air as a gas. It is considered slightly combustible, but certainly not regarded as an immediate threat. Chemists say that ammonia can explode when it is at certain concentrations inside a container.
Despite claims that the fertilizer plant was not a threat to the town of West, the West Fertilizer Co. Reports say that West Fertilizer never posed much of a problem to locals in West and the company was relatively free of violations and concerns. NBC News reported that the company was well-regarded by the locals and no one seemed to complain about the plant because it had never caused significant issues in the past.
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