THREE MILE ISLAND

43 YEARS AGO  today the worst accident in nuclear power plant history occurred when there was a potential meltdown in one of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactors.  It happened in March 1979 and resulted in the release of radioactive gases and iodine into the environment.

Four days before the accident our family had flown to my sister's in Memphis, TN.  Our oldest daughter Tammy was 8 and our son Timmy was 3 years old.  After my wife and kids got settled in Memphis, I continued on to a business meeting in Dallas, TX. 

Three days later the accident happened at 4am, so it took awhile for the news to break. Once it did, everyone was glued to television coverage.  From the evacuation reports, we began to think we would never see our home again. 

I cut my business trip short and flew from Dallas to Memphis, hoping to get our family back home.  I recall my sister crying, since she didn't want us to go near the accident.  All flights from Memphis to BWI were full, so we caught the next flight to Washington DC, even though our car was parked at BWI.  That evening we finally reached our car and headed north, still not knowing how close we could get to our home.  We called ahead to my wife's parents and found out they were with relatives in Quarryville, PA, which was 40 miles from TMI - outside of the restricted perimeter of the accident.  They said we would need to come there, since we were not allowed near our home.

When we arrived in Quarryville the scene was bizarre.  All of the cars were completely loaded with prized belongings, since the word was they may need to leave the area permanently.  When we walked into their house everyone was watching television coverage and waiting for the next announcement.  Eventually engineers finally got control and the evacuation was lifted. 

It was a sweet sight to finally see our home in Dover, PA.  It is true, often we don't appreciate what we have until we realize it could be gone.