Deb Brillhart with daughters Micah, Ann & Carol
“As a resident of York Country, I have experienced the nuclear accident at TMI first hand. The day started off just like any other. Having worked through the morning routine of misplaced mittens, books, lunch money and show and tell, Micah and Ann were finally on their way to school. After securing Carol, the preschooler, carefully in her car seat we proceeded to a friend’s house where Carol would spend the day. I then continued on to William Penn High School for a day of substitute teaching in the Home Economics Department. Just as the girls were cleaning up the kitchen and preparing to move on to their next class the loud speaker abruptly shattered the quiet background conversation. A very grave voice demanded our undivided attention for an important announcement. We were instructed to close all doors and windows and remain indoors. There had been an accident at Three Mile Island, just fourteen miles north of us, and there was radiation in the air.
My heart raced as my imagination shot into overdrive. I envisioned miles of bumper to bumper traffic on route 83 attempting to escape the radiation. I was three months pregnant at the time with my first and only boy. As an anti-nuclear activist who had blocked the gates of TMI and demonstrated on various occasions, I was terrified. I had, of course, read widely on the dangers of nuclear power in addition to the science fiction novels, such as On the Beach, A Canticle for Lebowitz, etc…
(Read Carol’s full letter below)
