I will never forget these 2 experiences following the TMI meltdown:

Greg 1979

When the event happened, I was actually in Denver, Colorado on business, and heard about the meltdown on the TV news in my hotel room.  When I grabbed the Denver paper, the news was all over the front page.  When I flew home, maybe 2 days after the event, I flew into Harrisburg (MIddletown) in a large commercial jet, and we flew over the cooling towers.  I remember sitting at the window and looking down into the towers.  I later learned it was the last flight into the airport for all commercial flights for …… along period.  It was creepy!

A short time after the event, the decision makers at TMI decided to “vent” the facility, i.e., release enclosed gas or mist or whatever was trapped within the facility into the atmosphere.  Because of our proximity to TMI (At the time, I lived just outside Manheim (west side) about 17 miles downwind from TMI), my wife and I decided to leave Lancaster County.  We drove to Delaware County and spent the day at the Brandywine River Museum . . . . outside, the sky to the west (toward Lanc & Hbg) was yellow, or grayish yellow.  I have never seen the sky that color before or since.  And even as far away as we were, the  world was quiet, eerily quiet.  And it was still quiet when we returned to Lancaster.

That’s what I remember.

Greg