My former wife and I moved from New York City to York in the summer of 1977. We lived in an apartment in East York, about 10-15 air miles from TMI. We could drive to the top of a hill behind our home and see the steam from the nuclear plant.
In the absence of knowledge, we always think the worst.
When the accident happened, besides the local hysteria, we had a few other factors to consider. First, we had just seen the new movie, “The China Syndrome” two nights earlier. The potential effects of a meltdown, dramatized in the movie, were fresh in our minds. Second, my wife was pregnant with our first child. How safe was it for my wife and unborn child to be near this accident? Should we stay or should we go? Nobody seemed to have an answer. We worried about this for a day and a half.
We decided to go back to family in New York.
The trip to New York was quiet. Two first time parents worrying about their unborn child. Will he/she have any abnormalities? Will there be any problems? How about our own health? Would we develop cancer or some other terrible disease? In the absence of knowledge, we always think the worst.
I think they thought I would glow green when the sun went down.
While in New York City I decided to go for a walk. I came upon a protest rally in Washington Square about the accident at TMI. People were far more worked up about the accident than anyone I saw in the York area. Some people had signs saying “No More Nuclear Power!” Others wore surgical masks in case the wind drifted and brought bad air to the city. People were afraid of dying, as though this was local version of Hiroshima.
While at this rally, I mentioned to someone I had just come from the Three Mile Island vicinity. This brought two opposite reactions. Some people wanted me to speak to the crowd and tell them about the horrible destruction that occurred and that the news was not fully reporting. They wanted me to describe the complete desolation I had barely escaped from, that central Pennsylvania had become a desert and that the government was trying to cover it up. (I declined). The second group stood away from me like I was contagious. I think they thought I would glow green when the sun went down.
I did wonder if I was tempting fate
After two days we decided my wife would stay in New York for a while and I would return to York. I did have a job and two cats in our apartment, so I could not stay away indefinitely. On the drive I thought about my cats. I also thought about the science fiction movies from the fifties that I grew up watching. I expected when I returned home, my cats would be about six foot tall and angry with me for not leaving enough food. I would open the door and be attacked.
Obviously none of these horrible scenarios ever happened. My cats were normal and life in York went on as before. I brought my wife home the following week. My daughter was born without any problems and none of us have any health problems. The only time after the accident I felt slightly nervous was about three weeks later. I was in Hershey and decided to drive Route 441 back to York. I did wonder if I was tempting fate driving past TMI. But 40 years later, none of our fears ever materialized. I still live in York.
Tom