Texas Town Showing Resiliency After Fertilizer Plant Explosion

Residents of West, Texas, are trying to return to some semblance of normalcy after a blast last week killed 14 people and injured more than 200.

Though it’s still not clear what caused the initial fire that sparked the explosion in West, Texas, the town is moving on and picking up the pieces.

Close to 1,500 students returned to school on Monday, attending classes out of makeshift classrooms or in a neighboring district. For many, it is still difficult to return.

“Every time I close my eyes, all I can think about is the explosion,” West High School senior Edi Botello said. “People running around. People evacuating. There was one point I couldn’t even talk. I just stuttered.”

A further zone around the explosion opened up on Sunday, while the area closest to the plant remained closed. Those who returned found that many of the homes have been looted.

There was more healing for West, Texas, on Sunday, as townspeople returned to churches for the first time since the explosion at West Fertilizer Co.

“West is a strong city. We shall definitely overcome this tragedy,” said Father Boniface Onjefu of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Onjefu was one of the first to arrive in the part of the town destroyed by the plan explosion. He said he removed victims from a damaged nursing home.

“I guess it could have been worse,” an elderly church member told Onjefu after Sunday’s service, via CNN.

The townspeople have also found support from around the nation.

“These are our neighbors. They are coming to help,” Waco Police Department Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said. “You will find that in Texas. You will find that across the United States. We put everything aside when it comes to these types of situations.”

There are still search and rescue efforts underway after the Texas plant explosion, but officials believe they won’t find any more victims, dead or alive.