West, Texas, Mayor Says 35 to 40 Dead in Fertilizer Plant Explosion

[Hissyspit]

Source: Los Angeles Times

West, Texas, mayor says 35 to 40 dead in fertilizer plant explosion

By John M. Glionna and Maeve Reston
April 18, 2013, 3:04 p.m.

WEST, TEXAS --The mayor of this city said 35 to 40 people are believed to be dead in a massive fertilizer plant explosion “because they are unaccounted for and still missing.”

“We are out there searching the rubble, looking in each and every house. We are trying to locate each and every citizen,” Mayor Tommy Muska said in a telephone interview with The Times.

Muska said he arrived at the count of 35 to 40 dead because all other residents and first-responders in the area have been identified. Among those who were missing and believed dead, he said, were as many as six firefighters and four emergency medical technicians.

- snip -

State public safety officials declined to say how many have died in the accident, and confirmed only that there were fatalities.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-dead-west-texas-plant-explosion-20130418,0,3837625.story

[classof56]

1. K&R to spread the word about this awful, awful event.

More than enough sadness to go around this week. Just awful.

[factsarenotfair]

2. The fertilizer company had tried to file a class action lawsuit against Monsanto in 2007.

April 18, 2013, 2:25 PM
Before the Blast, West Fertilizer’s Monsanto Lawsuit
By Alexandra Berzon

"As details emerge about the Texas fertilizer plant that was the site of Wednesday’s fatal explosion and fire, a few tidbits can be gleaned from a 2007 lawsuit that the plant’s owners filed against agribusiness giant Monsanto Co. MON -1.61%

The suit, filed as a potential class action in U.S. District Court for the western district of Texas, claimed that Monsanto had artificially inflated prices for its herbicide Roundup through anti-competitive actions. The suit did not relate to storing fertilizer, believed to be at the root of Wednesday’s blast.
...
Texas Grain Storage was represented by roughly 30 lawyers at 12 firms, according to court records. One lawyer who represented Texas Grain said the suit stalled in 2010 after a magistrate judge denied a request to certify the case as a class action. The lawyer said Texas Grain appealed the ruling, and that a district judge has yet to rule on the appeal. The last public filing in the case was in 2010.
..."
http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/04/18/before-the-blast-west-fertilizers-monsanto-lawsuit/

It takes a lot of money to hire 30 lawyers at 12 firms. It's too bad the money wasn't spent on safety instead.

[Beacool]

3. Oh boy, what a week we are having in the US!!!

So many people dead or injured in Boston and West. So sad, my heart goes out to all the victims and their loved ones.




I think that we all need a group hug.

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. +1 and Newtown and Colorado shooting don't seem that long ago

[valerief]

4. Bet it doesn't get a tenth of the press of the Boston Marathon tragedy. Wouldn't want to accentuate

a chemical industry's oversights.

[Voice for Peace]

23. well, yeah.. who is deciding not to give this much press?

[valerief]

30. The people who own the press--the ruling class. nt

[SleeplessinSoCal]

5. Why is West, TX in the central/eastern portion of the state?

"Dallas Morning News: West fertilizer plant said in report that it presented no risk

The fertilizer plant that exploded Wednesday night in West, Texas, reported to the Environmental Protection Agency and local public safety officials that it presented no risk of fire or explosion, documents show. 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."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/18/cnn-washington-am-note-39/

Ever since hearing about Perry demanding swift federal funds for help, knowing that Exxon Mobil is about an hour away, I've been unable to divorce the feeling of anger towards the arrogance of Texas politicians with the needs of those going along with them.

As a compassionate person, I'm so saddened by the loss of life of the first responders. Too often they are vilified by the GOP and this tragedy only makes me more angry with the likes of Cruz, Gohmert, Barton, and old Paul.

Btw, anyone know how one accesses interactive live maps of what is going on there?

[Jerry442]

6. Since ammonium nitrate is known by everyone to have explosive properties...

...why exactly is this plant located in a populated area? It's not like the risk is hypothetical. Go over to Wikipedia and read the article entitled "Texas City Disaster".

[slackmaster]

8. The people who built the houses near the plant chose poorly, and Texas has few zoning laws.

The plant, or distribution facility, whatever it is, has been there since 1958. There were no residential buildings near its location at the time.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

9. report stated “no” under fire or explosive risks . . .

"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."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/18/cnn-washington-am-note-39/

[tammywammy]

10. They had anhydrous ammonia, no one has confirmed they had ammonium nitrate. n/t

[Jerry442]

18. This report talks about anhydrous ammonia vs ammonium nitrate...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57580193/west-texas-explosion-explaining-the-physics-behind-blast/

My gut feeling is that the bulk of the explosion was ammonium nitrate, although the anhydrous ammonia might have been involved. They were licensed to store 25 tons of ammonium nitrate at that site.

On edit: You have to click on the video link "Physics behind the Texas blast".

[mike_c]

19. if they make fertilizer with it, they likely make ammonium nitrate....

I'm assuming they react anhydrous NH₄ gas with nitric acid, the old fashioned way.

[etherealtruth]

7. Tragic

[SleeplessinSoCal]

11. I can see this being connected to Boston explosions

It's a leap, but I'll wager the FBI is looking into whether or not arson was involved with the fertilizer plant fire that led to a catastrophic explosion that most scientific studies would support, but not the deregulated state of Texas. Leaving the company to assess itself a safe place with no risk of killing or injuring anyone. And I'll wager also that this will change nothing in the way Texas does bidness. That's how unconcerned they are and irresponsible for asking for federal funding when their own lack of oversight is costly to human life and commerce.

This really pisses me off.

[TexasTowelie]

17. I'll wager that this does nothing in the way any state does business.

One day an earthquake may happen and California will slide off into the Pacific Ocean. Maybe we should cut our losses and stop sending federal money to California?

The Texas bashing is ridiculous--start acting like an American and have some respect and sympathy for people that were harmed in a tragic accident. The farmers that use the fertilizer are the people that put food on your dinner plate.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

21. California doesn't resist regulation and we pay far more into the Federal Govt than we get back

I'm bashing the ideology of "Texan Roulette". Don't spend money on security or safety measures. Rather wait until a disaster happens, get money from the federal government and carry on being irresponsible.

[MrBig]

26. The Texas bashing is a result of ignorance

I've pretty much come to expect it - after all, every Texan is a gun toting, religious fundamentalist nut job.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

29. You mean . . .

They are not?

[onehandle]

12. Are we wasting federal money to assist Texas?

When will these liberals stop sucking at the taxpayer teat?

[SleeplessinSoCal]

13. It's a waste when we don't demand responsible laws in return for the funding.

[TexasTowelie]

15. Why are we wasting federal money in your state?

This is still the United States of America or have you forgot? Our politics are dominated by a bunch of conservatives, but this state only receives 90 cents for every dollar sent in to the federal government.

Quit the Texas bashing and start behaving like an American. Show some respect and sympathy for the people that were harmed in this tragic accident.,

[onehandle]

16. Relax. I was addressing the Republicans that were questioning tax money assisting hurricane victims.

Not a Texas thing.

Republicans just think that some states are more 'merican than others.

[dimbear]

14. Worth noting: some folk who were trying to get cellphone videos of the fire were

among those who died in the explosion.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

27. People in Texas City who died went down to the docks to watch the fires.

[olddots]

20. This gets no press because ?

Nobody can wave a flag and try to start world war three over it .

[Voice for Peace]

22. Is this disaster getting wall to wall msm coverage??

I don't have access to regular TV so am wondering.

From what I've read & seen, it seems to be a humongous deadly event with a likelihood of great loss of life -- considering an apartment building was destroyed, and all the rest.

[Hissyspit]

24. They covered it for hours last night on MSNBC, and on CNN today, they did the West, Texas press

conference and then switched to the Boston FBI conference.

[ellie]

28. This is terrible!

Those poor people.