The Immediate Aftermath
In the aftermath of the accident, investigations were immediately set out to search for radiation. "The average radiation dose to people living within ten miles of the plant was eight millirem, and no more than 100 millirem to any single individual. Eight millirem is about equal to a chest X-ray, and 100 millirem is about a third of the average background level of radiation received by US residents in a year." 28 hours after the incident, the Lieutenant Governor claimed everything was under control, and even after he said the situation was more complicated than priory assumed. Despite the warning, more than half of the 663,000 people living in the area remained where they were. Since there was no radiation poisoning, the only points of debate afterwards were the falsified safety claims of the plant and the danger of those living in the area, which lead to a $25 million out of court settlement, along with over concerns of safety with nuclear power. Post surveys showed that less than 50% of Americans were pleased with how the situation was handled.