I lived in Williamstown during the TMI accident but I worked at the Mechanicsburg Naval Depot so I was in the area during the event. I was in Building 310, the accounting section, the day the accident was announced. I recall that all the radios were tuned to local news broadcasts so everyone was up to date on the latest events. I don’t recall anyone leaving work early but many folks were in a panic. I remember it being an unseasonably warm day and people were exclaiming that it was “the first sign” of nuclear fallout.
Some folks were suggesting that we close all the windows to keep “the stuff” from getting in.
Some folks were suggesting that we close all the windows to keep “the stuff” from getting in. I knew that panes of glass were of little consequence in keeping radiation out of the office. I thought of the old “Duck and Cover” drills but I knew that hiding under my desk would have little effect so that was quickly dismissed. I had a fairly fatalistic attitude about the whole thing. There really wasn’t much I could do about the whole thing. I figured that if there was a release of radiation or an explosion, so be it, we would all likely die. I’m, of course, glad that it didn’t happen.
if there was a release of radiation or an explosion, so be it, we would all likely die
I put in my full eight hour day, despite all the distractions, and returned home to Williamstown. I thought that was far enough away if anything bad occurred. I remember some cousins who lived in Harrisburg came up to Williamstown to stay with relatives for the duration. Because of my fatalistic attitude about the accident, I thought that they were overreacting but it was their business!
History recorded the sequence of events, I was pretty much in the dark as they all played out. It was a near miss and I’m glad that it wasn’t the catastrophe it could have been.
Dane
Dane