Today is April 16, 2013 (Tuesday)
April 16, 1947 – Texas City, Texas
Sixty-six years ago today I was in a dentist’s chair on Harrisburg Boulevard in Houston, Texas. I was fifteen years old. The dentist extracted an abcessed tooth, then installed a bridge attached to a crown, using lots and lots of gold. He must have done a good job; the work has lasted a long time. I can never forget the exact date of that dental work.
We were discussing a Norman Rockwell painting that hung on the wall when I heard sirens. A fire truck came whizzing by, then another, then ambulances, one after the other, then police cars, all with sirens sounding and lights flashing. They were on their way to Texas City. This was the day that two ships loaded with ammonium nitrate and other volatile materials exploded there, killing many people, and destroying much property. Today it is still the worst industrial accident in American history, killing at least 581 people and all but one member of the Texas City Fire Department. More than 5,000 people were injured.
Debris from the explosion rained down upon the town, destroying buildings and igniting fires. More than 500 homes were destroyed and hundreds were damaged, leaving 2,000 people homeless.
Some of my school friends joined rescue efforts and helped retrieve bodies. They were visibly upset at school for many days after that. Some talked about it for years.
Memorials and monuments dot the town today. No one who was there that day will ever forget the Texas City Disaster of 1947.
Devotional Thought:
Disasters can happen to anyone. (Luke 13:1-5 NIV): Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”