Emergency personnel were combing through blocks of wreckage in West, Texas on April 18, a day after a chemical fertilizer factory caught fire and exploded with the force of a small earthquake, injuring scores and killing at least 14 others. Dozens of homes were destroyed. In a town with a strong Czech and German immigrant history, the 120-year-old Church of the Assumption Catholic Parish is one of the largest church communities, with about 1,300 families, and church property was being used by emergency services as a command center. Father Ed Karasek, the pastor of 24 years, posted brief notes on the parish Web site, reporting, “We have lost several folks dear to us and many, many more have lost a portion of or all of their possessions.” He said that in the close-knit town, everyone was coming together: “Everybody is related to each other, and they are all supporting each other.”

This article appears in May 6 2013.