9/9/99 -- 6:44 AM

Nine-filled date of 9-9-99 sparks Y2K dress rehearsal

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VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - It comes only once a century, and the day that lines up four ``9s'' arrived just in time to test whether the nation will have electricity when the millennium adds three ``0s'' to the calendar.

Utilities used the occasion for a nationwide drill, coordinated by the North American Electric Reliability Council, to test preparedness plans and backup systems for Jan. 1, 2000.

U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson personally supervised a test of the computers controlling the national power grid as the clock struck midnight for Sept. 9, 1999, or ``9-9-99'' - an old computer command to end a program.

The tests were designed to simulate electric outages in different parts of the nation, test communications under those circumstances and determine how utilities and agencies would respond.

The results of this latest national Y2K readiness test of the power grid came up with another pair of ``9s'' - as in 99 percent ready for the millennium, Richardson said.

``But there's still that 1 percent,'' Richardson said from the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal agency that transmits power throughout the Northwest. ``And that 1 percent covers a lot of consumers.''

Richardson said he was concerned that eight major utilities and 16 smaller municipal utilities or power cooperatives were not fully Y2K ready. There are about 3,000 utilities in North America.

``They are close, but close is not good enough,'' Richardson said. ``I won't rest until all consumers can be assured that utilities have adequately prepared for a smooth rollover.''

The fear has been that any problems on Sept. 9 would be a precursor of the so-called Y2K or millennium bug - when computers could malfunction as they misread the year 2000 as 1900.

Early computer programmers often used the numerical notation for Sept. 9, 1999, as the date representing infinity. They were sure the databases or programs would be replaced long before today rolled around.

The island of Guam - on the other side of the international dateline - was the first American territory to deal with the potential Sept. 9 problem.

``It was a non-event for Guam,'' government spokeswoman Ginger Cruz said after officials triple-checked computer systems. ``We can only hope that Y2K will be this uneventful.''

If any problems did develop, plenty of computer experts were on hand in Pennsylvania. There were 75 extra computer specialists and other staffers for PECO Energy Co., said spokesman Michael Wood.

``This was really the first live test of the first vulnerable date,'' Wood said today. ``We believe this exercise reinforces our confidence - and hopefully it should increase the public's confidence - in electric and utility services come the new year.''

The North Carolina Electric Membership Corp. released a statement shortly after midnight saying officials there were pleased with early results of the test.

``This drill was one of the many efforts we are making to be ready for the Y2K event,'' said Chuck Terrill, chief executive officer of the NCEMC, which coordinated the state's 27 electric cooperatives.

In Atlanta, technicians at Georgia Power were having a slow morning, according to utility spokeswoman Carol Boatright. ``We're simply monitoring everything, and everything is going well,'' she said.

Richardson said he has directed the Energy Department to conduct an additional 20 reviews of randomly selected electric utilities over the next two months.

``It is critically important that by October or November that we be 100 percent compliant,'' he said. ``We can't just wait until three days before millennium starts to be compliant.''

Meanwhile, some Americans seemed unconcerned - or even unaware - of the high powered tests and fearful computer watching.

``I hadn't heard about 9-9-99,'' said James Lawrie, 29, a jewelry vendor in downtown Phoenix. ``I hope it doesn't affect my checking account.''

Phoenix police Sgt. Michael Sheahan said today's date didn't concern him at all. ``Four nines?,'' he asked. ``That's a good poker hand in 5-card stud.''

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I know, I know, how many ways can something be spun!! I think the important thing to note here is HOW MUCH SPINNING is going on.

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), September 09, 1999

Answers

high powered tests

Somebody restrain me....

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), September 09, 1999.

Troll alert. I and many others have said 1999-09-09 is/was almost certain to be a non-event.

OTH, 2000-01-01 and on into Y2K could be MAJOR.

Don't pay attention to the pollies "9/9/99 no big deal so Y2K won't be."

-- (vbProg@MicrosoftAndIntelSuck.com), September 09, 1999.