Submitted July 21, 2008, 3:12 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 was in California. Publicity and hysteria were incessant. I felt dismay.
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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?
What did you think of the responses of the government, the industry and the press to the accident?
The government and industry were completely overwhelmed. The press provided extensive and dramatic coverage; fear and panic seemed rampant. There did not seem to be any whole presentation on what had happened and the effects thereof. The press coverage was very negative. I could feel the world changing.
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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?
The shutdown of the nuclear industry was catastrophic. The environment, because of the added carbon burden produced in the absence of nuclear power, has been directly harmed for centuries to come. Our children and grandchildren are going to be living in a much harsher world. The consequences of global warming are being felt now...the lack of nuclear power in the US is a major reason.
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Do you have any further thoughts or reflections about Three Mile Island?
More people are harmed on I-95 daily than were harmed by TMI. But actions subsequently taken to suppress the development of nuclear power continue to have far reaching and devastating effects. The energy independence of the US was been destroyed. The true story is that a single dramatic event, the direct consequence of which was small, can drastically change the well being and history of a nation.
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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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