Kayla Urbanovsky

The small Texas town of West is moving forward after a deadly fertilizer plant explosion leveled the north end of town seven months ago. Kayla Urbanovsky (urr-ban-off-skee) has the story.

Standup: West is probably best known for its annual Czech Labor Day festival and for its kolaches -- a delicacy for many travelers along I-35. Now, the town is known for something much bigger.
The blast killed 15 people, injured 200, and destroyed 161 homes. Looking around, you can see many construction crews rebuilding homes trying to return the area as much as possible to the way it was before April 17th. An estimated 200-million dollars worth of damages occurred when the fertilizer plant blew up. Commercial and government property along with homes and schools were lost. Mayor Tommy Muska (Moosh-ka) says he's had to learn a lot more about streets, sewage systems and water since the blast, but he also now knows how resilient the residents of West are.
SB: Tommy Muska
The streets in the north end of town are severely altered and unrecognizable to those who grew up in West. The city park is just see-saws and overgrown grass. A white cross is planted across the street from the fertilizer plant in memorial of the first-responders who died. All that's left of the nursing home is a few parking spaces and the brick skeleton of an old sign. Nursing Major and displaced West resident, Brooke Keel, says her parents have been living with her aunt and uncle since their home was destroyed and will continue to stay there until their new house is completed.
SB: Brooke Keel
The recovery is ongoing and volunteer driven. Zone three, the area closest to the blast, has empty lots up-and-down the block, but those lots will soon be for sale and available to families wanting to move into town. Rise Up has been the slogan of this town since April, and there are definite signs that West -- my hometown -- will do just that. For Bobcat Update, I'm Kayla Urbanovsky.