Today's San Diego Union-Tribune, Business section, front page:

http://www.uniontrib.com/news/uniontrib/fri/business/news_1b5y2k.html Utilities, major firms say 'Y2K bug' won't be lethal

Coverage of City Council Y2K status meeting. Attendees included reps from PacBell, Wells Fargo, Sempra (parent of San Diego Gas & Electric), Port of San Diego, and EDS.

Much happy talk about how well prepared the City is. Balance came from comments like this:

"All the upbeat talk does not mean Y2K -- the computer problem that stems from coding dates with two digits instead of four -- will be without consequences, of course."

"Indeed, just this week a special committee of the U.S. Senate reported significant problems in preparations for Y2K. For example, the committee found that many small businesses and health care organizations were not prepared."

Plus a caveat from "Herronor":

"'We believe that disruptions in critical city systems will be minimal,' said Mayor Susan Golding. 'But we also know, having never been through this before, that there are no guarantees.'"

Also of interest:

"The county also plans a Y2K summit at 2 p.m. next Thursday, in the Board of Supervisors' chambers on the third floor of the County Administration Center, 1600 Pacific Highway."

I may take a "mental health day" next Thursday and drop in on the County to see what's up.

All in all: not great, not awful. The U-T hasn't been very active until very recently in informing folks around here about Y2K, so this article is a form of progress, though nothing like the LA Times, which has often given Y2K front page headlines in the past few months.

Won't necessarily get anyone preparing, but at least the tone wasn't completely sunshine-and-lollipops. We advance little by little...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), March 05, 1999

Answers

*blush*

Hotlink:

Utilities, major firms say 'Y2K bug' won't be lethal

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), March 05, 1999.

Thanks Mac for the San Diego update. My Dad just relocated there from Honolulu, and is a total DWGI just like he was before hurricane Iniki hit.He had me on a confrence call while I was packing up the house so his friend could explain the hurricane won't hit. His pilot friend was his loving proof for me not to worry.Thank God I didn't listen to him.Almost know one on this Isle paid attention to the "watch". Now when there's a watch the shelves empty showing the complatiency everyone has slipped back into being prepared ahead of time since at the last minute there's not enough for 60,000 people to go shopping on the same day.The headlines in the paper said "We'll be fine" the small print says theres a 10 day food supply, prepare for a hurricane."When will they ever learn, When will they ever learn......" Tell me why your crying my son, is there a secret you can tell every one"... Back to San Diego.I know my Dad will read this and think of it as proof he doesn't need to prepare. Earthquakes and all. Is their electric Nucleur?Can't even spell the word, it's so creepy.I hope Dad is right this time. He's the one who taught me "Would you rather be right, or happy?"Why can't parents take there own advise? Mahalo for the update, God bless, and Aloha

-- Justin Case (justin case@Aloha.com), March 05, 1999.

Justin -

Aloha! My mother-in-law (who, contrary to the usual jokes, is an absolute joy to be around) has a condo in Honolulu, and I want her back on the mainland during Rollover. Fortunately, she's stayed with us often enough in the past few months to understand how seriously we're taking Y2K, that we're preparing, and that we're making provisions for her to stay with us. She respects my background in IS and seems pretty well inclined to go along with our plans. We shall see.

Sorry to hear about your Dad's disinclination to prepare. San Diego has one heck of a quake fault (Rose Canyon) running right through it, so anyone around here who doesn't have at least 72-hour basic earthquake preps is a DGI of an entirely different sort. I'll be interested to see if the CA Office of Emergency Services Y2K pamphlets start getting some "play" in the media. They're very well-done and lay out a three-to-seven day prep plan that anyone can handle. That, to me, is the logical next step in getting folks ready. From (1) articles about CA unreadiness and caveats about San Diego's inability to achieve "100% readiness" to (2) very official government recommendations about 1 week of "Y2K prep", followed soon after by (3) even more local and official recommendations about 2 weeks or 1 month prep.

T minus 302 days and counting...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), March 05, 1999.

Mahalo Mac, for the other info, and the moral support!Made me think also of his other "Pilot friend who safley landed the Aloha flight when the plane turned into a convertable. He doesn't fly for Aloha airlines anymore,(Wonder Why?!) (Just pondering Ed's article today. Can't quote him but pilots don't fly unless their planes have been inspected) Anyways, I'll have to get the info, and send it to Dad. Is it on the internet?(I'll check the San Diego Y2k sight, I don't expect you to do my homework for me!) Aloha!

-- Justin Case (justin case@Aloha.com), March 05, 1999.

People, lets be realistic here. If the power goes down and stays down for any long length of time, there will be deaths. If municipal water cannot be properly treated, and becomes undrinkable, there will be deaths. If sewage systems cannot function, and spawns disease, there will be deaths. If people cannot eat because (regardless of whatever abundance there is on the farms) transportation systems fail, there will be deaths.

Generally speaking, if such events happen and are due to Y2K, then Y2K could indeed be considered leathal.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), March 05, 1999.

Justin -

"There are old pilots, and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots..."

Here's the link to the CA Y2K pamphlet (I'd e-mailed this to a few CA contacts earlier this week, so accessing for ya was a snap):

CA OES Y2K Pamphlet

It's in PDF, so you'll need Adobe to read it. Good luck with yer Dad!

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), March 05, 1999.

Mahalo nui loa Mac, May the Force be with you! Aloha again!

-- Justin Case (justin case@Aloha.com), March 06, 1999.