It was March 28th 1979, and I was working the daylight shift, as a supervisor, for the Hampden Township Police Department. It was a warm, sunny Wednesday morning when the accident at TMI occurred. The next couple of days reminded me of the first line of the Charles Dickens novel, “A Tale of Two Cities.” “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” A lot of residents left the area, and for those who stayed, they really seemed to step up. The residents and all the citizens I had contact with were all extremely polite and willing to assist and help one another. I also remember this was the first time the Pennsylvania State Police handed out evacuation plans for all the local municipalities.
The thing I remember most is getting a telephone call from a radio station in England. They interviewed me over the air and wanted me to confirm that the hydrogen bubble did burst. I just told him if it did I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to him.
The worst part was “not knowing”
The worst part was “not knowing” By this I mean not what’s going on but, what did happen and what could now occur. Everyone knows what happened to Japan with the “A” bomb radiation, but no one seemed sure about radiation from a nuclear plant. One of the best things that could have happened was when a man named Denton and President Carter showed up at TMI. They toured the facility and that act calmed a lot of fears. Just being there helped.
Rick