My recollection was that as the real emergency began to be realized a simultaneous focus began to keep the public at ease. One man, I think a Mr. Denton, took over the communication with the public. He had a very calming effect that minimized fear and the real danger of the situation while no one knew what was really happening.
In reality the real cause was not known until one engineer realized the possibility of a meltdown.
Most of the public was very fortunate; however, there was bloom of cancer cases in the following years and there were lawsuits. Many of those people died and, unbelievably, years later the courts dismissed the court cases.
I trusted and foolishly didn’t leave the area I lived within a 30 mile radius of TMI.