I was 8 mo pregnant when TMI accident was reported in media. I worked in Harrisburg and lived within 10 miles of TMI. My daughter’s thyroid stopped functioning in her early 20s. My friend went through similar circumstances and her daughter was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in her early 20s . I always wonder if TMI was the cause.
We were actually asked to leave because they expressed the opinion that we were causing others to be contaminated with radiation.
I left work early the day the sirens were sounded because of TMI. Downtown Harrisburg was very empty but on Front St. I encountered a man driving a pick up. He was entering Front Street at an elevated speed and his drivers door was hanging open. He went down Front St so fast he was out of my sight rapidly. I assumed he was quite frightened by the sirens.
I arrived home and tried to contact my husband so we could evacuate. He was not allowed to leave work until the next shift came in. That evening we left Harrisburg and stopped in Carlisle to eat. We were actually asked to leave because they expressed the opinion that we were causing others to be contaminated with radiation. We got food at a fast food drive up and drove to a state park to sleep in the car. I thought we would be denied a motel room because we were from Harrisburg.
I thought we would be denied a motel room because we were from Harrisburg.
In the actual government directed evacuation during venting we joined a friends family to stay in a cabin in eastern PA on the Delaware. Because I was pregnant many family members called from out of state offering their homes but we could not secure airline tickets. The airlines we needed were not flying into Harrisburg because of the accident.
I will never forget TMI, its accident and the problems arising from having a nuclear power station on our doorstep. Happy to see it out of business. I hope all the radiation can be safely removed to a place far away from people.
– A