West, Texas Mayor Tommy Muska has been talking for an hour before he finally breaks down and reveals the source of his fortitude in the face of so much destruction, so much death.
A good-natured, highly animated figure, Muska also is a top insurance agent in West, Texas—a city near Waco of about 2,800 people that was immeasurably changed on April 17 when tens of thousands of pounds of ammonium nitrate, used to feed crops, exploded at the West Fertilizer Co. with a force powerful enough to level nearby homes, shatter glass and bend metal fenceposts even blocks away. Fifteen people were left dead and hundreds were injured.
Muska leans back deep in his chair to clear the view, and draws a breath as if to steel himself.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
