This year is 40th anniversary of accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant

The partial meltdown of the Unit 2 Reactor at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant happened 40 years ago on March 28, 1979, in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. A malfunctioning valve trigged a chain reaction of mechanical and human errors. Residents in central Pa. received conflicting information. Some evacuated, some did not. Media flooded the area from all over the world. Banks ran out of cash as residents cleared out their accounts. Gov. Dick Thornburgh asked for help and received it from Harold Denton of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and President Jimmy Carter.