On Wednesday March 28th 1979 there was an incident at the TMI Nuclear Plant south of the Borough of Middletown, PA.

That same day we had a committee meeting of the American Society for International Security in my office building of AMP Inc. at 2800 Fulling Mill Road in Lower Swatara Township. Unbenounced to us at the same time things were happening at TMI that would have an effect on our entire region within the next couple days and beyond.

all Fire Companies were put on alert because of an incident at TMI

Friday morning at approximately 9:00 AM two of my employees that were active members of Volunteer Fire Companies in Swatara Township contiguous to the north of Lower Swatara Township, came to my office to request permission to leave as all Fire Companies were put on alert because of an incident at TMI. I granted them both permission to leave and they would be paid for the full day at AMP Inc.

Being responsible for the security of all the AMP Inc. buildings in a 25 Mile radius of Harrisburg, PA I immediately called the Chief of Police in Swatara Township to determine the extent of the incident. He was unaware of anything going on and not aware that the County of Dauphin had put all the Fire Companies both Paid and Volunteer on Alert. I then called the Chief of Police for Lower Swatara Township and he requested me to come to his office.

We went to the Chief’s office and he had a Geiger-counter device sitting on top of his desk.

We had a man by the name of Sten Reber an elected Supervisor of Lower Swatara Township in our telephone communications division whose office was near mine. I went to requested Sten to come with me. We went to the Chief’s office and he had a Geiger-counter device sitting on top of his desk.

The Chief told us that the PA Army National Guard located in Hershey PA was coordinating the evacuation plan for central PA. As an active member of the 28th Division Headquarters Company JAG as a Legal Clerk and my responsivities for the Security of AMP Inc. I went to the Hershey Site, identified myself and requested he share with me what their plans were for an evacuation.

Without going into detail the plans would have split families into possibly four different locations from New Station to the West, State College to the North West, Hazelton to the North East and Chester County to the South East. We can be Thankful to Governor Richard Thornburgh for putting a hold on this plan going into action. For clarification my youngest daughter in 9th grade would have ended up in the New Station area, my two older daughters would have ended up in the Hazleton area and my wife at that time would have ended up in the State College area.

Our Family immediately set up a plan that everyone had a 3”x 5” card

Our Family immediately set up a plan that everyone had a 3”x 5” card with my brother in Dallas, Texas phone number. Should we get separated we would call him and he would coordinate us getting in touch with each other.

I returned to my office and the first thing I checked was the American Flag in front of the Building as to which way the wind was blowing. As it was blowing from TMI towards our buildings I had all our Buildings in the Harrisburg area shut down there air intakes immediately.

I returned to AMP Inc and advised my Manager of our General Services Division Richard Miller of what I had learned. He instructed me to go through our building we were in and get a feel of what was going on. I returned to his office and told him panic was setting in. Women were going to the nurses office crying. Telephone system was jammed and no one was working. He said let’s get the word out that women with children at home and pregnant women should leave now. We had close to 1,000 employees in that building alone.

I arranged for Hill’s Rigging Company to get their Drivers with the Drivers Families, go to our newest building on Fulling Mill Road and load 20 complete office furniture set ups in them. Take the trucks and their Families to our AMP Facilities in Valley Forge and check their families into a motel and wait for further instructions. Had we not been able to return to central PA they would have been instructed to take the North East Extension of the PA Turnpike to Route 80. Go west and eventually come south to the Carlisle area where we would have set up a Temporary Corporate Office.

We arranged for the Supervisor of our computer center to download all the company records on to disc, load them in a company van and take the van home with him. Should something occur he was to take the van with the records and his family and go to the Hazleton area and wait for further instructions.

I contacted Burn’s Security in their Harrisburg Office and requested they dispatch as many security guards that were willing to remain during this incident. The Captain and Lieutenant of the force at AMP responded along with a skeleton crew to help secure the buildings along with several of my AMP employees remained on duty. We increased the roving Patrols for the smaller/outlying builds.

Richard Miller, Mgr. arranged for the AMP printing department to come in and print up several thousand flyers to be distributed throughout the area should a total evacuation be ordered by the Governor.

Around noon on Saturday a helicopter was flying overhead of the area of our home

I remained in the area throughout the weekend and severed as the Liaison between AMP Inc. and Swatara Township. I also remained visible to the security guards on duty that they had not been deserted and I was there with their officers to support them and keep them in the loop of what was happening.

Around noon on Saturday a helicopter was flying overhead of the area of our home in the Chambers Hill Area approximately 6 miles as a crow flies from TMI. One of my daughters called out to us while we were standing in our back yard that they just reported on the radio that the people in that helicopter were getting higher readings of radiation in our area then they were getting at TMI.

Immediately my wife, daughters, and puppy went to my father’s cottage on Kent Island, MD. We agreed that if an evacuation of the area was given she would have my father and his family follow her to Dallas, Texas and I would meet them there.

I received a call about 4:00 AM on Monday Morning with an all clear and contacted Richard Miller who in turn contacted Mr. Joseph Brenner, President of AMP. They put out a broadcast that AMP would be open Monday to anyone that remained in the area could return to work.

In September of 1979 I was privileged to have Harald Denton of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Tom Sullivan Secretary of the Department of Transportation and the Secretary of Emergency Management attend the ASIS Conference in Detroit, MI. They spoke for my committee on Contingency Planning for Disasters. I was also privileged to have Sten Reber, Supv. Lower Swatara Twp. who Chaired President Jimmy Carter’s Campaign for President in Pennsylvania was my connection to get these high Level Individuals from Washington to speak for us.

They shared with me and showed me the handwritten memo they received from the President to attend and support our committee. We had a plain clothes Detective from the Detroit PD take me to the airport and escort Harold Denton out a side exit to avoid a crowd that was demonstrating in front of the airport against Nuclear Power. They all three repeatedly ask me who I was that could get the President to direct them to speak for us. As a man with military background, all I would tell them was my name and position AMP Inc. the worldwide Cadillac at that time of the electronic component industry.

William