U.S. National Guard to test for Y2K phone

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

From Yahoo Y2K news dated March 11 <:)=

NEW YORK, (Reuters) - The U.S. National Guard, in preparation for possible Year 2000 disruptions, will for the first time stage a nationwide communications drill to ensure they can keep in touch if phones, e-mail and faxes fail, officials said Wednesday.

During the first week of May, National Guard commanders across the United states will assume it is New Year's Day 2000 and the phones are down.

These so-called weekend warriors will test high-frequency radios to make sure the Guard's Washington headquarters can communicate with headquarters in 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.

``This is the first time they've done a communications exercise assuming you're not able to use traditional communications equipment,'' National Guard spokesman Jack Hooper said in a telephone interview from Washington.

Members of the National Guard work regular jobs but carry out military training on weekends and also provide support in communities hit by blizzards, riots or other natural or man-made disasters.

Hooper said state National Guard units have likened their Year 2000 preparations to the support they would offer in the event of a storm or flood warning.

The Year 2000 or Y2K problem comes from the once-common practise of using only two digits for recording the year in computer programs, like 99 for 1999. The shortcut has the potential to confuse computers and software that have not been to prepared to read the date correctly, causing them to spew out bad data or not work at all.

Most government officials expect only minor problems as computers grapple with the rollover from 1999 to 2000. But some people are hoarding canned goods and planning to withdraw money from banks in case deliveries cannot be made and bank machines cannot operate.

Two of Washington's top Y2K trouble-shooters on Tuesday said they are now more concerned about the risk of public panic than a collapse of the national infrastructure.

John Koskinen, chair of the President Clinton's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, and Federal Reserve Board Governor Edward Kelley said they were confident the United States' power, transport, communications and health care systems were not in danger.

Both experts said one of their top priorities is averting a ``public overreaction'' that could prompt a massive run on banks, gas stations and mutual funds ahead of the turn of the century.

Hooper said Guard units will be ready Jan. 1 to carry out the same tasks they are usually asked to perform when called out by state governors -- things like law enforcement, search and rescue and the protection of property and life.

``We try to be prepared, when and if we're needed,'' he said.

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 12, 1999

Answers

Ed - please delete this. I just noticed Kevin already posted it. Sorry.

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), March 12, 1999.

By all means, let's avoid a "public overreaction". Might embarass the kiddies, don't you know.

I for one would also like to avoid "public overreaction" since thats when TSHTF. And I don't really want that despite my preparations. However, I don't believe that keeping JQP in the dark will head off anything. JQP will be happy in the dark until he/she realises that 'things that go bump in the night' this time happen to be real. Probably about Thanksgiving.

Sysman, "Do not go gentle into this good night". Thanks for all your vigilance and sense.

-- Lobo (Hiding@woods.com), March 12, 1999.


My Gosh! Was ANYONE from Reuters at that conference at Washington's National Cathedral? No problems with health care? Is that what the Senate Report said? Boy am I ever confused!

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), March 12, 1999.

To quote Senator Dodd, "Y2K could put the healthcare industry in intensive care." The Senate report did not give smiley faces on the healthcare industry. The media has all but ignored the truth of the Senate report (and they aren't even right-wing, conservative, extremist wackos.)

-- Sharon (sking@drought-ridden.com), March 12, 1999.

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