How West was One

An eye witness account of a small Texas town pulling itself up by its bootstraps

by Michael Tummillo

As a Workplace Chaplain, I received a call Friday night while having dinner with my wife. It was the Director of Nurses at Park Plaza Nursing Home in Whitney, about 90 minutes south of me. One of the Survivors of the West explosion, a 96-year old woman I'll call "Mrs. K," like so many other Residents had been relocated after the blast that destroyed the nursing home there. Though the people of Park Plaza are great and the facility runs like a Swiss watch, she was understandably scared, longing for familiar faces, and though she requested a Catholic priest, was going to be stuck with me on Sunday morning when I made my way to West for the last of my four days of ministry there with the Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN).

Mrs. K and I got along swimmingly. Since so many Residents of the West nursing home lost the use of their hearing aids when the fertilizer plant exploded, I was warned I'd have to speak loudly into her ear. So, after an introduction by a new employee, also a West Survivor, I pulled a chair up next to the bed and listened to, talked and prayed with Mrs. K. At times she cried. Several times she told me how glad she was God sent me, even though I wasn't a Catholic priest. She seemed encouraged, believing maybe God still had a purpose for an old woman in a nursing home bed.

At the Knights of Columbus facility in West, representatives were there from Red Cross, Billy Graham's ministry, Salvation Army, and others, including about a dozen ADRN Volunteers. Consisting of people from many different churches, some of those with the ADRN had traveled from the Austin area and at least one spent the night in her van. One woman had been there eight days, having taken one day off to tend to her family.

At four o'clock, there was a Town Hall meeting at the Knights of Columbus Hall. I volunteered to attend and was there with several others from the ADRN, taking notes. Right off the bat, I met a man in a wheel chair who had been attending a meeting in that building the night of the explosion. I listened as he described hearing the initial blast followed by the bursting of around eight fluorescent lighting tubes as they fell from about the height of a basketball court. Terrifying!

There were grateful applause when the Mayor and other city officials gave thanks to relief workers, churches, and volunteers and informed us the local VFW had given away 16,000 plates of food already. That's even more significant when one considers they were not the only organization in town who were feeding people. I have a friend whose daughter works for Texas Roadhouse in Waco which was there with a crew feeding people. I personally ate three times at the Salvation Army truck and saw a smoker in the distance permeating the air with sausage and brisket.

Speaking of Waco, after a meeting with 19 churches there yesterday, they have officially decided to start their own version of the ADRN and will soon begin training and casting the net. Wonder what they'll call their organization?

I believe every town could learn from what I witnessed today. They talked about how so much bottled water was being consumed, green recycling trash barrels were going to be placed all over town. They discussed how 30 PODS were going to be brought in and how, even though there would be a fee, it should be covered by insurance under the loss of use of their homes. The Mayor mentioned that lawyers were going to be offering their services May 1st at no charge.

The Superintendent of Schools proudly informed us that only 5 kids missed class on the first day back to school after the blast out of 450 students. Impressive! The school buildings were being evaluated while the kids attended neighboring community schools and some communities even loaned them their buses.

In my estimation, close to 400 Residents were in attendance and the Mayor informed them their water bills remained due for March through April. He also requested participation on a survey they will soon be circulating asking what was right and wrong about how they're doing the things needed to re-establish their town. He also mentioned all mail was being held at the Post Office and invited folks to go and get theirs.

Next, they began discussing "Re-Entry." The Mayor said the curfew would remain in effect Monday, adding that DPS officers would be gradually be reduced as the transition to local law enforcement began. He said Contractors would be welcome starting Monday and there were additional comments made by other speakers warning of "fly-by-night" Contractors who were heading to West in order to profit off tragedy. The city will be doing whatever it can to monitor all Contractors. The City Council is meeting Monday regarding requirements before anyone can do business in West. They asked that all Attendees make their friends aware of such con-artists. Another speaker warned to pay no money up-front, ask questions, get estimates in writing. He said they were putting together a list of 20-30 questions they would be circulating that should be asked of any Contractor.

The Mayor reminded Attendees they were responsible for removing their own debris and said they are working with the landfill in an effort to make this as "Green" a clean-up as possible. For example, they want to keep metal and bricks out of the landfill. They would like to keep all debris separated from each other. Good thinking.

Six counties have committed to assisting with the West restoration. Sewer smoke tests revealed how, overall, they were in good shape. Water and gas were being pressurized for leaks. The infrastructure was a priority, the Mayor assured. When someone in the crowd asked about FEMA, the Mayor said Governor Perry had declared West a Disaster Area for debris removal and the paperwork was sitting on Obama's desk. This declaration would include small business loans and public aid for infrastructure. He said, after speaking with Perry, the Governor said he'd had no response from the President so far.

This disaster has had a $24 MILLION impact on the community of West's tax base. The Mayor said he personally filed a formal protest with the Appraisal District for his own home and advised others to do likewise. 

The Vice President of the Texas Association of Builders also addressed the crowd. He said a task force had been established and they were determined to act quickly. He added they were talking with local leadership about putting together a Summit where, in one place, all at one time,  they could help people navigate this re-building process. That Summit is to be announced. He mentioned a resource guide called "Helping West Re-Build" which includes "How to re-build with confidence: Ask a Professional." He also mentioned the "Texas Builders Care" foundation adding how many of them have been personally affected by this disaster, too. He said they want to help re-build right, fast and fair.

The Mayor received a text stating the PODS were being delivered to the Nursing Home. 

Another man gave some "fun facts," as he referred to them. He said forty-two 18-wheelers had already come to West delivering goods along with another twenty delivering water. He added one hundred thousand donations had come in including everything imaginable in order to re-establish households.

At one point, the Mayor acknowledged the attendance of a woman who is the great, great granddaughter of Thomas West, for whom the town is named, and she was warmly received by the crowd.

Another text: the Mayor had just learned the town of Burleson had written a $7200 check to West. More applause.

An African Catholic priest named Father Anthony was summoned to the stage to offer words of wisdom and hope. Did he ever deliver! The man is black and lives in Rome and is obviously much-beloved by the folks of West. He was impressive! Downright Pentecostal in his delivery and even got me fired up with his fiery speech!

The best information came from a woman who explained how the city was creating a 501c3 in order to dispense funds received. They had been wisely meeting with folks from Bastrop and other disaster Survivors s in an attempt to keep from re-inventing the wheel. The over-all plan was to create committees representing thousands that would all be Citizen-run but those citizens need NOT be from West. It would be a long-term recovery program (3 to 5 years) and they had note pads lining the platform requesting anyone who was interested to leave their contact information. They would require a 60 to 90 day commitment. They'd need a resume' and they would be operating under the assumption there would be NO FEDERAL AID. She added there were people writing grants in an effort to acquire more funds.

She mentioned the Committees: 

-Accounting/Financial

-Reconstruction/Housing

-Volunteer Management

-Donations (She added, officially, the need for goods HAS BEEN MET - but Financial needs still exist; Goods can be acquired at Point West and State National Banks)

-Consolidation of Inventory

-Communications (Word Press, DataBase Management)

-Executive Director (Overseeing 30 to 50 people, managing budget)

-Advisory Committee (Respected West business people representing 25 organizations)

She also mentioned there were groups wanting to lease commercial space who need information and invited local Real Estate agents. She also talked about lost pets and mentioned a trailer with 16 computers and printers set-up in front of the library. Attendees were told they can surf, shop, print and do homework there and help was available for those lacking in computer skills.

The Mayor returned to the microphone with another text: West had just received a check for $40,000 from the Larry Joe Taylor concert.

Just like any couple going through their own calamity, a town can either fall apart or fall together during disaster. From where I sat today, West is bound and determined to rise from the ashes of this disaster. I'm certain I'm not alone when I say I will always remember the town of West and will pray unceasingly for their redemption.

Incidentally, before I left the parking lot to head home, I noticed I had received a call. I pulled over, afraid I might lose the signal, and called back. It was a woman with four kids and a father on kidney dialysis. The couple who owns Park Plaza Nursing Home has offered a 3-bedroom home they own, free of charge for 30 days, coming available in Whitney on May 1st. Word of this home was made known to the ADRN Volunteers and had made its way to this ecstatic mother. She was thrilled! I promised to meet her at the house on the 1st and encouraged her to spend no money on food or furnishings, especially after the town meeting I had just attended. She promised she would take advantage of what was available and she blessed me.

Yes, I am blessed, not only by West, but by the many things I have for which I am so grateful yet, like so many others, have taken for granted. Count your blessings tonight. I sure will. 

Can your community learn from the West explosion? Boy, I did.

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo