No one else can offer our unique perspective and involvement, so here is a brief recap:
1) We wrote many articles for the local press, striving to educate the citizens in this region about the hazards of commercial nuclear power prior to 3/28/1979. We were active in TMIA prior to that date as well.
2) Circa 1977 we toured TMI-2, then under construction, with Met-Ed’s Jack Herbein and our state representative, Jeff Piccola, to whom we expressed our concerns about the safety of TMI. At that time, all concerns we raised about control room design and engineering issues – our academic background is mechanical engineering – were cavalierly dismissed by Mr Herbein. We have photos of the Island at that time, including one of the control rooms.
3) In August 1978, “Harrisburg” magazine published our precognitive/predictive article titled “MELTDOWN! Tomorrow’s Accident at TMI” which detailed a Class 9 event specifically at TMI-2. Met-Ed was, to be blunt, pissed that we had “unduly alarmed” the public about something that could not happen. Mr. Herbein rebutted w/ a lengthy response as to why the scenario we posited could not happen. Well, he was wrong; we were right. 90% right in details. The Philadelphia Inquirer called our article “uncannily accurate” and the NYT termed it “too close for comfort.”
4) We appeared later that year on a WHTM-TV talk show w/ Mr Herbein to debate the risks/safety of TMI and nuclear power generally. Sadly the videotape of that debate was destroyed; it would be a doozy today. 🙂
5) That experience of personally sensing the impending catastrophe led us to document other locals – nearly 4 dozen – who had premonitions/precognitions about a major hazardous event at TMI in the months, weeks, days prior to 3/28/1979. This research is documented in our groundbreaking book “The Parapsychological Impact of the Accident at TMI.” (See attachments.)
6) On the morning of 3/28/1979 upon hearing a radio announcement of an “incident” at TMI, we immediately drove to the site and interviewed workers being evacuated from the Island. They were scared; white-faced. We were the last non-employee to leave the Visitor Center, when Herbein met w/ his people to plot a public statement. We stood behind Herbein as he lied to the media, claiming the reactor would soon be back online. We knew this to be a lie based on discussions his co-workers, yet (sadly) chose to remain silent as we had to leave immediately to get back to Hbg and do a school bus run. We soon felt that south central PA came within 45 min of a full irreversible meltdown, which a year later proved again to be prescient when the core damage was finally able to be assessed.
7) As a school bus driver then and now, we are supposed to be part of the evacuation team in the event of a catastrophe at TMI. Not then, not since have we and our fellow drivers ever been contacted and instructed about how we are supposed to perform – even be available – for this public service.
8) We later testified to the Kemeny Commission and addressed the public hearing held at the Forum, post- accident. We also traveled post-accident to KY and NYC, to convey what it was like to be here at the time.
Damn scary!
Larry