Submitted August 28, 2004, 10:53 PM
What do you remember about the accident at Three Mile Island? How did you hear about what happened at the plant? What was your reaction?
I remember thinking I was going to die. I think (it's been a long time), I first learned about the situation on the news. The situation changed hourly. What we were told originally was wrong. The situation gradually worsened. My reaction was that the government and the power plant were not being forthcoming with the people who lived in the area or anyone for that matter. I was very suspicious of the information we were receiving. The press releases were designed not to induce panic, at the expense of exposing thousands of people to radiation.
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If you were a resident living close-by the plant, please describe your experiences. If you had preschool children or were pregnant at the time, did you follow the evacuation advisory? Did you flee the area?
I lived three miles away in Hershey, PA. Evacuation routes were slide under the door to my apartment. There was no gas available at gas stations. The highways were jammed with people trying to escape. I was very afraid, but resigned to the situation. Dying of radiation poisoning was not how I wanted to die, but I felt that it was already too late; we had already been exposed. I remember putting white sheets over the windows - I'm not sure why, perhaps it was suggested by the media.
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What did you think of the responses of the government, the industry and the press to the accident?
I felt they all lied. They tried to cover it up until the situation became so bad that they had to start telling a little bit of the truth. In all fairness to the press, I feel they told us what they were being told. Anyone who lived in the area was glued to the TV. As time progressed, it became apparent that the information originally given out was false. As time progressed further and the situation spiraled out of control, most - if not all - of the original/early information provided to residents was proved to be false. In short, I felt the government and indusry responses to the accident were initially to deny there was a problem until it was blatently obvious to everyone that there was a situation, and it was a critical situation.
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What are your reflections about the Three Mile Island accident more than two decades later? If you live or lived in the area, what longterm effects did TMI have on your family and community? Did the accident affect your opinion about nuclear power and other technologies?
I always wonder if any of my health issues are a result of TMI. I also wonder if I will experience other health issues in the future that are a result of TMI. Did the accident affect my opinion? I will never again live anywhere near a nuclear power plant or any other industry/plant connected to a volatile commodity. More importantly, I have seen the legnths a nuclear power company and the government will go to to protect themselves at the expense of innocent people. We were treated as a disposable and expendable commodity, not as decent human beings. These ruthless people were only concerned with saving their reputations and their profits - not about the effects on the surrounding population.
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Do you have any further thoughts or reflections about Three Mile Island?
I am so glad to have stumbled upon this survey. If it is possible, I would like to know of any medical problems assoociated with living within three miles of TMI when it melted down. I moved away from the area shortly after the accident, and have not kept in touch with anyone from the area. The only other reflection I recall is making jokes about glowing in the dark for years after the accident occurred.
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In addition to saving your story to the archive, may we post it to the web? (yes/no)
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