It is as though we shouldn’t expect to hear good news; most of the time it is bad. Maybe the last five minutes on the nightly news, a story will be shared that will bring a smile to our face. Two news stories that have happened this week are the bombings in Boston, and the deadly explosion in the small town of West, Texas, near Waco.
People train for years to run in marathons; other persons serve in various ways to make this a successful annual event; but there are some sick persons who want to create havoc time after time, especially where innocent people are involved. Thanks to the many ways that officials have to find the people responsible, hopefully soon we will know the culprit or culprits. One of the things that keeps popping up in my mind, is an older man who was running in the marathon who fell at the time of the explosion; it seemed everyone around him was running in different directions to help others, that I wondered how long it was before he was helped, and if he is alright now.
Whether it is in a city or small town, one thing remains: people rush to help people. There are story after story of heroics that occurred in Boston; one of a veteran of Afghanistan who comforted a badly wounded woman by showing her his own shrapnel scars, assuring her that she would survive.
In the small town of West, Texas, population around 2,500 persons, last night (Wednesday) was a tragic evening. A fire started at West Fertilizer Plant shortly before 8 p.m. Volunteer firefighters responded, when suddenly, there was a violent explosion. Firefighters lost their lives, and others are missing. Because many chemical components are used in making fertilizer, used by farmers, there was also concern about toxic gas fumes.
Again, people rushed in from area towns to help – emergency vehicles, fire departments, Texas Department of Public Safety, along with area hospitals opening their emergency rooms doors, waiting to take care of the injured. Townspeople of West offered help to their neighbors and friends, and those they didn’t know – a place to stay, or other necessities.
Regardless of the place you live, big or small, when tragedy strikes, people pull together. Hopefully, manmade disasters will be few and far between, but we must all do what we can to stay safe. Be more aware of what is going on around you, and more vigilant – if something just doesn’t look right, tell someone in authority.
We at Blog4Safety and Texas America Safety Company offer our prayers for the injured and condolences to those families who lost loved ones.
Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
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