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From...
Y2K: Where will you be when the lights go out?
Batten down the hatches... Senate Committee warns of widespread power outages and other dire events.
October 30, 1998
Web posted at: 2:50 PM EDT
by Eric Brown
(IDG) -- Most of us see the Year 2000 problem as primarily a business issue. The likelihood is increasing, however, that the electrical utilities will fail to fix all their systems on time -- and that could bring the problem home in a hurry. Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah), chair of the Senate's Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, recently announced that U.S. citizens should prepare for possible widespread power outages in the early weeks of 2000.
"The grid is made up of thousands of deregulated electric companies, and no one's taking the oversight to make sure that it holds together," said Robert Roskind, president of the Y2K Solutions Group, a company that disseminates information about Y2K issues. "If we lose power, the Y2K problem is manifested a hundredfold."
Hoping to raise awareness of Y2K issues in the home, the Y2K Solutions Group has launched a Web site (see link below) that provides information and resources for surviving weeks or even months without power, water, or access to financial resources. It includes charts for determining food and water needs, tips on alternative heating and lighting, links to other Y2K sites, and books and videos from Y2K experts such as computer book author Ed Yourdon.
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Y2K Solutions' site offers some chilling quotes from government officials warning about Y2K dangers. Roskind points to a recent poll of computer-industry executives by The Washington Post as further evidence for concern. The poll revealed that 52 percent don't plan to travel during the millennium weekend and 38 percent plan to take extra funds out of the bank to tide them over during the first few weeks of expected turmoil.
"Almost everyone who knows the problem is deeply troubled," said Roskind.
It's too early to predict the extent of Y2K's impact, but considering how slowly the corporate world has been to attack the problem, a glitch-free millennial New Year seems unlikely. You may not want to convert all your money into gold and stock up on shotgun shells, but a few precautions are likely in order:
- Make copies of important financial records and, if possible, avoid major financial transactions during the period.
- Withdraw enough cash to last for at least a week or two of expected banking confusion.
- Don't plan any unnecessary travel around the holidays, especially by air.
- Check with your furnace manufacturer to make sure the control chips won't fail.
- It's a good idea to fill all your prescriptions ahead of time and, and to keep at least a week or two of water and nonperishable food on hand.
One final note: While January 1, 2000 is the "big one," there are likely to be tremors beforehand and aftershocks afterward. On April 9, 1999 (the 99th day of 99th year) some computers might start to hiccough, and in August, GPS devices might get the wrong coordinates. In February of 2000, leap year could cause additional headaches. But by then, we're likely to have sworn off computers forever.