find it at: http://www.techweb.com/se/directlink.cgi?IWK19990726S0080

-- Kate (hamilk@highfiber.com), July 26, 1999

Answers

Opps. Wrong clik. Try here:

http://www.abqjournal.com/

Front page Monday, July 26

-- Kate (hamilk@highfiber.com), July 26, 1999.

Link

-- Prometheus (fire@for.man), July 26, 1999.

Yep, that's good old NM at it's finest. Of course what is really happening is a far cry from what is printed. Our lovely mayor of Albuquerque, Jim Baca, is a major ass... But I will be watching from far north Rio Rancho...

So far, so good... you just never know...

growlin' at the newpaper boy...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 26, 1999.

Kate,

Tom Gorman, quoted a few times in this article, came to Taos back in February and talked to a crowd of about 350 people (roughly 5% of the population, which is better than the turnout you're seeing these days in the major cities). Nice guy, I've met him and chatted with him. One of the points he was able to communicate very effectively to us was that, if there are serious disruptions, our town is likely to be on our own. That bothered people a lot until he reminded us that, if we're having problems, there's a pretty good chance that the state capitol in Santa Fe is having bigger problems. And if New Mexico is having problems, there's a pretty good chance that other states -- and the whole darned East Coast -- is having even bigger problems. He probably did more to promote the concept of sane, rational, non-hysterical personal preparedness planning than anyone else that I've seen around here.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (still.lurking@newmexico.com), July 26, 1999.

Kate, Dog and Ed, New Mexico is far from being ready from what I can see. (Dog, I agree with your mayoral assessment.) Fortunately many New Mexicans are fairly independent souls and many will be able to do well in spite of the lack of leadership. Ed, perhaps Gorman is the exception to the usual NM government employee?

-- Bill (BookWormNM@uswest.net), July 27, 1999.

I think Y2K will not hit here as hard as other places BECAUSE of the people here. Everyone in my neighborhood is friendly, good people. We will pull together as a group, not as individuals. I would venture to guess it is the desert survival instinct here. If you don't work together, you may die. Mother Nature is very unforgiving in the desert... IMHO.

gettin' a drink...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 27, 1999.

Monday, July 26, 1999

Crisis Officials Prepare For Y2K

By John J. Lumpkin
Journal Staff Writer

http:// www.abqjournal.com/news/5news07-26-99.htm

[Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only]

Even as programmers try to keep computers from succumbing to the Y2K bug, emergency officials in New Mexico are preparing for problems that could arise if those systems fail.

Much of the activity will be based at the Department of Public Safety's emergency management center, a $4 million high-tech communications and control facility that opened in 1996. It's located at the National Guard complex south of Santa Fe.

The center will be staffed around the clock for at least four days, starting on the morning of Friday, Dec. 31, said Tom Gorman, a regional emergency management coordinator with New Mexico's Department of Public Safety. The center's purpose: to dispatch people and equipment to handle problems that are too serious for local authorities to handle after all the clocks turn over after midnight, to Jan. 1, 2000.

The Y2K problem -- also known as the millennium bug -- arises because some older electronic systems only read the last two digits of the year, the result of a shortcut programmers took during the early days of computing. Some systems, if not corrected, could read Jan. 1, 2000, as Jan. 1, 1900, leading to malfunction.

Malfunctions in critical computer systems that control utilities and essential services could have unpredictable effects.

"We do expect some types of disruption," Gorman said. "That's just being realistic."

In the center will be people "authorized to make major decisions" from the State Police, the National Guard, the state Highway and Transportation Department, and a host of other state agencies with authority over public safety, infrastructure and human services, Gorman said.

Gov. Gary Johnson and his senior staff may come to the center as well, but spokeswoman Diane Kinderwater said the governor's plans for New Year's Eve aren't firm.

The nature of the Y2K bug is different from natural disasters -- emergency-response teams know when something might happen, but they don't know where or what it will be.

"We don't have a good handle what the disruptions may be," Gorman said.

They are preparing for various possibilities -- utility failures and civil disorder chief among them. It's also possible a winter storm could blanket parts of the state around New Year's Day, complicating relief efforts but keeping most people indoors.

Extended, widespread power failures, which the Public Service Company of New Mexico says are unlikely, could create a host of problems for services without backup generators: Grocery stores and gas stations could shut down, electronic financial transactions could cease, and waste-water treatment plants could stop processing sewage.

Whatever problems arise, the state is ready with resources -- from repair crews to state troopers.

The 3,200 members of the New Mexico Army National Guard will not be mobilized, but they will be available to deal with contingencies, from trucking water to rural communities to quelling major disturbances, spokesman Tom Koch said.

Koch said the state's armories have backup power generators and could provide heated shelter in rural areas if power supplies fail.

As for human responses to the millennium, Gorman said officials know even less what to expect. "We don't know how people are going to react. If the media starts picking up on people having a lot of fear, that can kind of catch on," he said. There is even concern that extremist groups might use Y2K to create disruptions.

In discussing their emergency preparations, officials stressed that they aren't expecting widespread problems on Dec. 31, 1999, or afterward.

Some were concerned that detailing their emergency plans could create panic among the population, while others said the public probably will feel better knowing emergency personnel will be on a heightened state of alert.

An advantage for New Mexico is that the Mountain Time Zone is the 20th in the world to hit midnight, giving officials time to watch Asia, Europe, Africa and the eastern United States make the "midnight crossing" and enabling them to better prepare for any similar Y2K problems here, Gorman said.

However, the mild climate here means New Mexicans aren't as accustomed to disasters as, say, Californians, he said. Gorman advises people be ready "to be on your own" for three to seven days -- disaster preparations that the Red Cross advises regardless.

The city of Albuquerque probably will have its own emergency management operations online at the new West Side dispatch center, which is scheduled to open later this year.

Mayor Jim Baca's spokeswoman, Luisa Lindsey, said plans "haven't been set in stone." Baca expects to shuttle between the center and a New Year's Eve celebration at Civic Plaza.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 27, 1999.

Yeah Jim, our fearless mayor, go to NY and have a GOOD time...

growlin' at the meter man...

The Dog

-- Dog (Desert Dog@-sand.com), July 27, 1999.