There were no indications Sunday that President Obama will visit the West, Texas, site of a fertilizer plant explosion that leveled part of a small town, leaving more than a dozen dead and dozens more unaccounted for.
Obama mentioned the tragedy in his Friday night statement on the capture of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
“Let me say that even as so much attention has been focused on the tragic events in Boston, understandably, we’ve also seen a tight-knit community in Texas devastated by a terrible explosion. And I want them to know that they are not forgotten. Our thoughts, our prayers are with the people of West, Texas, where so many good people lost their lives; some lost their homes; many are injured; many are still missing,” he said.
“I’ve talked to Governor Perry and Mayor Muska and I’ve pledged that the people of West will have the resources that they need to recover and rebuild. And I want everybody in Texas to know that we will follow through with those commitments.”
Obama didn’t mention any visit to the area, even though he’ll be in the region. His guidance for the upcoming week said he and the first lady will be in Dallas on Wednesday for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser and at the George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication at Southern Methodist University on Thursday. West is about 80 miles south of Dallas.
He flies back for a Thursday evening Planned Parenthood gala in Washington.
The Dallas Morning News reported a memorial is planned Thursday at Baylor University for the deceased, including 10 volunteer firefighters.
Texas GOP Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz toured the devastation in West on Friday.
Today, I asked Cornyn via Twitter if there is any indication Obama plans to visit the community.
“Doubtful,” Cornyn responded.
Obama spoke at a televised memorial service last week for victims of the Boston Marathon attack and visited some of the injured in hospitals.
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