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sorry if this was posted already...didn't see it anywhere

United States Fills Overseas Caches For Y2K

http://news.excite.com/news/r/991021/14/news-yk-usa

Updated 2:49 PM ET

October 21, 1999

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has topped off overseas emergency caches to help cope with crises that could be sparked by the Year 2000 computer glitch, a senior official said Thursday. "Strategically located stockpiles of food, blankets and emergency supplies are at capacity level," Richard Nygard of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) told the House Committee on International Relations.

USAID, which responds to humanitarian crises, has been nudging United Nations agencies and U.S. private groups to prepare for worst-case scenarios, though they are already stretched thin worldwide, he said.

"The uncertain impact of Y2K could place major additional demands on our agency and on other donors of humanitarian aid," said Nygard, USAID's chief information officer.

In separate testimony the national intelligence officer for science and technology reiterated the U.S. assessment that Russia, Ukraine, China and Indonesia were among the "major countries most likely to experience significant Y2K-related failures."

Y2K is short for the design flaw that may scramble unprepared computers and the operations they control on Jan. 1, when they may mistake 2000 for 1900.

Lawrence Gershwin of the Central Intelligence Agency said Y2K could cause "widespread, possibly prolonged disruptions in vital services that could have serious humanitarian and economic consequences" in ill-prepared lands.

"Countries in Western Europe are generally better prepared, although we see the chance of some significant failures in countries such as Italy," he testified.

Few governments outside the West would be capable of managing humanitarian crises triggered by possible breakdowns of basic infrastructure, especially in urban areas, Gershwin said.

"Y2K failures will occur before and as the date rollover approaches, peaking on 1 January and persisting well beyond that," he said. "In some countries, such as Russia, it will likely take a significant amount of time to overcome Y2K failures."

John O'Keefe, the State Department's top Y2K trouble-shooter , said a key concern was the possible loss of electricity in places like Eastern and Central Europe at the height of winter.

Replying to a question from committee chairman Rep. Ben Gilman, Republican of New York, O'Keefe said the State Department had spent about $6 million for emergency generators for overseas U.S. diplomatic posts.

Another $1 million had been earmarked for diesel fuel so they could operate for up to 15 days if local power grids failed, he said. USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance provided 780,000 metric tons of emergency food aid to more than 11.5 million people in 28 countries in 1997, according to the agency's internal watchdog. But the foreign disaster office itself has neither developed nor tested contingency plans to cope with possible Y2K-related disruption of its own ability to do business, Theodore Alvarez, director of technology audits, testified.

The lack of backup plans would limit USAID's ability to provide humanitarian aid and development assistance if caught in a Y2K crunch of its own, he testified.

Meanwhile, in Nairobi, government Y2K coordinators from 27 African nations called for urgent help from abroad to underwrite their 2000 readiness programs, the U.N.-backed International Y2K Cooperation Center reported.

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It's been an interesting week...

Mike

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-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), October 21, 1999

Answers

Mike, I hope they saved enough for DeeCee and South Central!

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), October 21, 1999.

"Meanwhile, in Nairobi, government Y2K coordinators from 27 African nations called for urgent help from abroad to underwrite their 2000 readiness programs, the U.N.-backed International Y2K Cooperation Center reported. "

Almost November and NOW they want help ?

-- hamster (hamster@mycage.com), October 21, 1999.

Mike, I hope they saved enough for DeeCee and South Central!

-- Puddintame

Puddintame,

I think that FEMA and the military will handle DeeCee and South Central.

-- the Virginian (1@1.com), October 21, 1999.