Betcha y’all didn’t know 87

[953 nut 64,588]

March 28, 1979 A partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in the US results in the release of radioactive gas and iodine into the atmosphere, but no deaths.

[lynnmor 8,678]

I remember that day, the company that I worked for always played the radio over the PA system, when the news came in of course everyone was concerned since we were close enough.   The fine management of that company fixed the problem, they turned off the radio.    Did I ever mention that I never had a good job?  

[WHX?? 55,635]

My 2016 rookie year at the BS when we brought a bike and did a motor scooter PA tour we rode by it. We were on the 441. Quite a incredible complex.   I told Cindy to hold her breath. 

 

On this date I was a 18 year old kid punching holes in the north Atlantic on a nuclear powered submarine with more than a few nuclear weapons on board. When news of this came over the wire there was plenty of talk at the scuttlebutt that we wouldn't have a home to go to. Since we didn't know exactly know what was going on the skipper assumed it might be a nuclear attack on the US and ordered us on high alert. Height of the cold war back then.  We had WSRT (weapons systems readiness tests) every day on every watch for a week until more news came across. Later the Captain said it was good training and ordered steak & lobster for the crew.  

Edited 9 hours ago by WHX??
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[cafoose 3,653]

I worked at the Hershey Medical Center at the time and we were given the option of going to work or staying home since we were within 20 miles of TMI. I went to work anyway because I was essential to the hospital and felt it was my duty.

[953 nut 64,588]

The Nuclear Power Plant I later became an  operator for was under construction at the time of TMI.  Some anti-nukes held a demonstration and released helium filled balloons at the site with messages that said this would be the fall-out zone in the event of an accident. As the balloons were released the wind shifted and all of them floated out over the ocean.

During my twenty years as an operator we studied incidents large and small including TMI as part of our training. The operators at TMI 2 were attempting to manually overcome the situation rather than allowing the automatic safety systems to trip the reactor and make up for the coolant that was being lost through a malfunctioning valve.

Training at that time was not as intense as it became in subsequent years. Though Nuclear Power lost some of its luster 47 years ago the benefits of improvements made in safety and training are undeniable.

[Ed Kennell 45,298]

I was 4 hours from finishing the four quadrant model testing of the Raccoon Mountain reversible pump turbine project.  This involved about 40 hours of instrument calibration and testing that I did not want to lose, so I stayed and finished the project. When I left work, about 15 mile from TMI, the streets in York were deserted.  I thought, what a  nice drive home with no rush hour traffic.

[rmaynard 16,935]

Interestingly, I live 45 miles (the way the crow flies) from Three Mile Island. If you draw a line between my house and the island, at the halfway point you come to town called Spring Grove, PA. Spring Grove is known for the Gladfelter Paper plant. On many a day we can smell the "cooked cabbage" odor of the paper processing. So I figured that on that fateful day, if I could smell the paper processing, the nuclear iodine was not far behind. 

Was I worried? Maybe just a little.