Rebuilding in West, Texas
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Rebuilding in West, Texas

Published 0112 GMT (0912 HKT) April 17, 2014
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Eleanor Castro sits in her home in West, Texas. Her property was damaged by the fertilizer plant explosion a year ago that claimed 15 lives. Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Landov
An aerial photograph taken on Tuesday, April 15, shows the area affected by the explosion. The blast destroyed 120 homes and damaged 200 others across 37 blocks. G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News/AP
A wooden cross memorial with a tattered flag sits near the site of the explosion. Residents say their faith has been instrumental in coping with the tragedy. Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune Herald/AP
Mayor Tommy Muska discusses the town's recovery efforts. "We're going to have a new normal someday," he says. Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Landov
A fence surrounds the barren site of West Fertilizer Co. Twelve months later, authorities haven't pinpointed the cause of the blast. Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Landov
A damaged home remains boarded up in a hard-hit neighborhood. Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Landov
John Raimer stands in front of a house in West, Texas, that was built by 60 volunteers from Oklahoma and Arkansas. Raimer is the construction chief for the West Long-Term Recovery Center. Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Landov
Work to rebuild the area surrounding the blast continues. "We can see something happening," says Dr. George Smith, West's director of emergency medical services. "There is light at the end of the tunnel." G.J. McCarthy/The Dallas Morning News/AP