| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The town of West was devastated by the fertilizer |
|
|
plant explosion on April 17, 2013, which claimed 15 lives, injured |
|
|
hundreds of people, and laid waste to a 37-square-block area; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The President of the United States issued an |
|
|
emergency declaration under the authority of the Robert T. Stafford |
|
|
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and when he |
|
|
participated in an April 25 memorial service, he indicated that the |
|
|
federal government would support recovery efforts; after providing |
|
|
initial assistance, however, the Federal Emergency Management |
|
|
Agency denied a request for additional aid for the repair and |
|
|
replacement of infrastructure, claiming the destruction "is not of |
|
|
the severity and magnitude that warrants a major disaster |
|
|
declaration"; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The explosion in West damaged some 350 homes, |
|
|
representing about half of the town's houses; moreover, three of |
|
|
the four schools in the West Independent School District were lost, |
|
|
and much of the city's street and water infrastructure was damaged; |
|
|
at the same time, the school district and the city lost about $40 |
|
|
million of their tax base, making it difficult to pay for |
|
|
rebuilding; this catastrophe will affect every resident for years |
|
|
to come; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
|
|
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby extend sincere sympathy to |
|
|
the residents of West and encourage all citizens in their efforts to |
|
|
rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy. |