"Cities discuss how to brace populace for Y2K problem"

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http://www.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/indepth/docs/y2k020599.htm

Posted at 9:04 p.m. PST Thursday, February 4, 1999

Mercury News

Cities discuss how to brace populace for Y2K problem

BY MIGUEL HELFT, Mercury News Staff Writer

With so many uncertainties about the scope and impact of the year 2000 computer problem, government officials nationwide are facing a dilemma: how to inform without alarming and how to help residents prepare without sparking panic.

Experts are concerned that public officials may not always be successful.

The city of San Jose, for example, has a booklet and fliers on Y2K preparedness that contain a long list of suggestions including: a practice day in which you get used to living without water and power in order to find out what contingency plans you may need; a reduction in personal debt in case businesses fail and you are out of a job for some time; and if possible, avoiding elective medical procedures in the weeks preceding or following Jan. 1, 2000.

"That's the only local government I've seen say this kind of thing," said William Ulrich, president of Tactical Strategy Group Inc., a consulting firm based in Soquel that advises municipalities and businesses on the Y2K problem, which stems from the potential failure of some computers being unable to recognize years after 1999.

"The concern would be that people might get a little bit panicked."

City officials said they made available the booklet "50 Things Every Person Needs to Learn and Do" simply to make residents aware of potential problems and encourage them to make their own decision on how to prepare.

"We looked at it and said these are common sense things for a person to consider doing," said Kay Winer, San Jose's deputy city manager. "The general concept about being personally prepared, we would endorse. But we have never directed any citizen to follow these things. There is no full endorsement of the 50 items."

For the most part, local governments are more cautious with advice. Many cities, admitting they do not have the expertise to issue Y2K recommendations, refer residents to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the American Red Cross. FEMA suggests people prepare for Y2K as they would for a bad storm or a natural disaster.

"The Red Cross has developed a very good personal preparedness guide," said Steve Steinbrecker, chief information officer for Contra Costa County. Steinbrecker's efforts to prepare Contra Costa County for the impact of Y2K have been spotlighted in the media as among the best of any local government agency in the country. He suggests people use a common sense approach. "If you have an earthquake kit, use your earthquake kit," Steinbrecker said.

Urged to be more active

But Steinbrecker insisted that local officials should be more active to counter the advice of fringe groups that advocate stockpiling food and weapons and heading for the hills. "That's scary stuff," he said.

Part of the problem for local officials is that opinion on the magnitude of the Y2K problem -- which may cause computers and a variety of equipment to malfunction on or around Jan. 1, 2000 -- varies widely. No credible experts have emerged, and the state and federal governments have not come out with definitive statements on the problem.

"We don't want to come out with something we can't defend," said Jaime Arteaga, a spokesman with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services. "We have to be very careful . . . with the message. We want to come out with information that is doable, that is within people's reach."

Arteaga said even some seemingly reasonable suggestions, such as encouraging people to pay their bills ahead of time or keep additional cash, food and water may not be practical for people who live on a tight budget or do not have the space to store the extra supplies. The state is working on putting together its own list, Arteaga said. "For now the best we have is our earthquake preparedness brochure."

The Clinton administration is equally reticent to issue a definite opinion.

"There are a lot of unknowns," said Jack Gribbon, spokesman for the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion. "(People) should prepare as for a bad storm. It doesn't mean taking weeks worth of cash out of the banks."

Locally, officials said in areas such as medical preparedness, residents should be particularly careful.

"People need to consult their physicians, not the city," said Betsy McCarty, chief of public health for Santa Cruz County. "You can't make a decision (to postpone medical procedures) on your own."

McCarty said health care officials are working with local hospitals to ensure they are ready to cope with the computer bug. "I don't think anybody should be afraid of going to the hospital," she said.

Readiness guide

Santa Clara County has prepared a personal readiness guide that suggests, among other things, that residents adjust withholding allowances so "your tax bill evens out with the amount held." The guide, citing the advice of 'experts,' goes on to say that in case of a glitch that could delay refunds it may be better "for you to owe the government a small amount than having the government owe you."

San Jose ordered 1,200 copies of its booklet at a cost of $2,750. The guide suggests checking everything from thermostats to electric appliances and even has some suggestions that go beyond the absolute essentials. Item 42, for instance, reads: "Teach your children non-electronic games and activities so they can keep themselves occupied even if we have power outages."

Cut and pasted by

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), February 11, 1999

Answers

'San Jose ordered 1,200 copies of its booklet'

I wonder...are these for the 1,200 people out of 120,000 that call and actually query the city about their preparations?

-- Shelia (shelia@active-stream.com), February 11, 1999.


It's probably not a typo, Sheila. No rational person would print only 1,200 at a cost of over $2.00 each.

Only the government would do such a thing.

-- PNG (png@gol.com), February 11, 1999.


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