Y2K Focus Shifts to People
Added: (Sat Dec 04 1999)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
By ANICK JESDANUN
NEW YORK - After spending years and billions of dollars to get business and government ready for Y2K, one main task remains: To make you ready.
So here's some advice from the folks who clean up after floods, hurricanes and tornadoes: Treat the computer bug as you would an approaching storm.
As the year ends, the focus shifts from getting computers ready to getting people prepared. Tests and simulations suggest that there's little need to worry about widespread disruptions, but sporadic glitches are likely - somewhere.
"No one can say what will happen," warns Rocky Lopes, the top disaster educator at the American Red Cross. "It's always a good idea to be prepared for anything that may disrupt your life."
That's sound advice for natural disasters, he says, as well as
any consequences that Y2K may bring along."
Y2K experts do not advise buying months of food, drugs and other supplies. In fact, overreaction could lead to shortages unrelated to Y2K glitches.
The Red Cross does encourage families to take stock of supplies.
Put fresh batteries in flashlights and radios, and get a first aid kit. Gather extra blankets, coats and hats to keep warm. Top off the tank of gas. Get a refill on prescriptions when you have a five- to seven-day supply left.
Families should also stock several days' worth of nonperishable food and water - a gallon per person per day is a good guideline. Have portable cooking devices on hand.
And do all this as early as possible to beat any last-minute rush. Also, get extra supplies where local governments do not appear ready.
But, no, don't withdraw all your money from the bank. Some banks will open on New Year's Day to counter perceptions - unfounded, the bankers say - that ATMs may malfunction.
Even Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, recommends taking only enough for a normal holiday weekend and warns that too much cash could tempt muggers.
President Clinton's Y2K advisory council has a 31-page pamphlet to help individuals prepare, as well as a toll-free information line - 1-888-USA-4-Y2K - and a Web site at www.y2k.gov.
The Red Cross has already distributed more than 20 million brochures. Other government and private groups have Web sites and brochures as well.
Among other tips:
-Check with manufacturers of personal computers, security systems and other electronic equipment to make sure they will work properly. Many fixes for PCs are available on the Internet. Also, back up computer files and install software to block viruses.
-Keep copies of bank, medical and other records, and list phone numbers for hospitals, police, fire departments and neighbors.
-Assess items and services that are critical to your family. Consider special needs for infants, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
-Read Y2K notices provided by utilities, telephone companies, local government and other services, and ask questions about their readiness. How well have they responded during past emergencies?
"Take charge of your own Y2K life," says Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate's Y2K advisory committee. "Once you do your own checking, analyze and create your own contingency plan."
If traveling abroad, check with the State Department's Web site at travel.state.gov/y2kca.html for advisories about specific countries. The State Department discourages travel to Belarus, Moldova, Russia and the Ukraine because of potential disruptions in power and other resources.
Abroad, carry traveler's checks in case credit cards do not work. And use paper rather than electronic tickets, particularly when changing flights or airlines.
Finally, beware of scams: Be wary of people who try to sell you Y2K insurance, or 'Y2K safe' products, services or investments.
The Y2K bug stems from a common programming practice of using only two digits to represent a year. Computers that are not fixed might misinterpret '00' as 1900, disrupting systems that run power grids, guide airplanes and coordinate traffic lights.
The Commerce Department estimates that the government and private industries will have spent more than $100 billion by 2001 - some $365 for every citizen - to identify and fix dates in the trillions of lines of computer programs.
Tests show that banks, utilities, phone companies, air traffic controls and other key systems are essentially ready. However, smaller businesses and local governments might not be fully prepared, and problems abroad might affect U.S. commerce.
Any preparation by individuals would come in handy in the event of problems. Some individuals and groups even advise going beyond the government recommendations.
A 'Y2K Survival Handbook' sold at newsstands discusses such measures as buying firearms to prevent looting of supplies. The guide is filled with ads for preparation kits such as a 'family pack' that includes two bottles of aerobic oxygen for safe water storage.
Jim Lord, who publishes a monthly Y2K newsletter, recommends six months' supply of necessities in case of unemployment related to Y2K.
But John Koskinen, Clinton's Y2K czar, urges individuals to prepare modestly to prevent artificial shortages.
"There are people who run the gamut from buying a house in the woods and turning it into a fortress to having three months' supply of food because everything's going to collapse," he says. "We don't have any evidence they are going to need that."
Koskinen acknowledges the risk of creating unnecessary worry by stressing the need to prepare. But he insists information and sound advice is ultimately better than rumor and speculation.
Besides, supplies not used for Y2K can be stored for the next winter storm or flood. Heed the advice of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: "Plan for the worst and hope for the best."