Nuclear power: A progress report: Cleaning up TMI: On the second anniversary of the accident at Three Mile Island's nuclear reactor, decontamination is progressing slowly

Without warning, the predawn stillness at the reactor facility is interrupted by a cacophony of alarms, lights, shouted orders, and frantic activity. Hours later, the grim truth is apparent. Three men are dead, and the multimillion-dollar reactor plant is damaged beyond repair. The reactor is intact, but there are very high levels of surface and airborne radioactive contamination everywhere. A long and difficult cleanup process begins.