LIANE HANSEN, host: From NPR News, this WEEKEND EDITION. I'm Liane Hansen.</s>LIANE HANSEN, host: In March of 1979, I had just started to work as a production assistant at NPR when the alarm bells on the wire copy machine in the newsroom sounded. There was a disaster in Pennsylvania.</s>Unidentified Man: This breaking story has just come in. State police in Harrisburg have been called to the Three Mile nuclear plant, where plant officials have called a general emergency.</s>LIANE HANSEN, host: The plant's cooling system had failed, and radiation was leaking. As they raced to fix the problem over the next few days, Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornburgh took steps to protect residents.</s>Governor RICHARD THORNBURGH (Republican, Pennsylvania): I am advising those who may be particularly susceptible to the effects of any radiation - that is, pregnant women and pre-school-age children - to leave the area within a five-mile radius of the Three Mile Island facility until further notice.</s>LIANE HANSEN, host: Next Saturday, 30 years will have passed since the accident, but the debate about the safety of nuclear power continues. We plan on marking the anniversary next weekend but before that, we'd like to hear from you. Were you there? Did you know someone there? Come to our blog at npr.org/soapbox, and share your stories and memories.
Next Saturday, 30 years will have passed since the accident, but the debate about the safety of nuclear power continues. Were you there? Did you know someone there? Head to our Soapbox blog and tell us your stories and memories.