East Coast Happenings

[Diane Amberg]

As I thought, the yard is covered in petals from the wind last night.
I stayed up much too late enjoying Boston and Watertown celebrating what went right. All the more reason for people to stop trying to jump the gun on information too early. It is so often wrong. I'm sure all the many agencies involved have learned a lot.
Now prayers please for all the folks in West, Texas... Heart breaking number of deaths and injuries.

[Ms Bear]

There are so many homes that were damaged or destroyed, they are beginning to let the people back in so there are a lot of people that don't know what they have left.  So much work to do for so many, a lot physical and emotional healing.  It was a small town and most of the people have had family there for several generations, everyone knew everyone else so they are all affected.

[Diane Amberg]

Yes,it is so sad.Especially losing so many volunteer firefighters and EMS people. A big fund within the fire service has already been set up to help folks and replace lost apparatus and equipment, but obviously the people can never be replaced. We have several national fire sites we visit for news...heartbreaking.

[Ms Bear]

They have opened up the second area for people to go back into see what is left of their homes.  They have sent some in to the blast site but will still be quite awhile before anything is known.  They are having a memorial service on Thursday.  The last I heard there were still at least 20 unaccounted for.

You are probably getting better reports on the fire sites than we are getting on our local news.

[Diane Amberg]

Yes, but some of the information can be very technical and would not be of interest to most. Personally, I'd like to know why homes etc. were built in the blast zone of the plant, and apparently no buffer walls. As plants go it wasn't very big, but deadly none the less.
Did you see the tape of the man and child shooting film from their vehicle when it lit off?  whoo! They seem so far away, but not for the shock wave. So sad that there are still so many missing.

[Ms Bear]

I had wondered about why so many buildings were so close.  I think there were a lot of violations at that plant.

I am amazed that they were able to evacute the nursing home in time.  All three schools are damaged and the students are attending school in nearby towns, the rival schools have really stepped up and students from one even painted part of their school and lockers with this schools colors to help them feel welcome.

So much destruction and so many lives lost.

[Diane Amberg]

There was a sea of blue in Mass. yesterday for the police office's memorial service. Yes, we had people who went. As much as some don't like or understand Joe Biden, I enjoyed his memorial speech.
Boston is a neat city. I've always enjoyed going there and will miss not going for the pension conferences anymore.
I really had to laugh. The CEO character, who was instrumental in Al deciding to retire from the pension board here, got caught up in a real mafia style goomba fist fight in one of the little local God father Italian restaraunts in Wilmington. He actually got bitten! Of course the whole thing hit the newspaper, because he called the County Chief of Police to come into Wilmington,into another police district, to hold his hand. What a wimp. I'm so glad Al retired! I have a feeling this isn't over yet. Power politics at it's finest.

[Ms Bear]

One of the little towns just south of me had a very bad reputation for stopping people on the State Highway for speeding and collecting fines that never quite made it where it was supposed to go.  The Texas Rangers finally stopped that and then last year the Texas Rangers and FBI paid the City Hall a visit and took the Mayor and two other off to jail.  They had the Mayors trial today and found her guilty of taking out loans on cars that the town didn't own.  I don't think they gave her enough time but at least she is out of a job.  And it was her birthday.

[Diane Amberg]

Gee,on her birthday..what a shame...NOT.

[Ms Bear]

Now we have to wait for the sentencing.

I went to a Sawmill Festival today.  All of are towns here were started by sawmills.  They had a fire department there that is celebrating 50 years of service.