Subject: Y2K Center Alert #016

To: The Y2K Center Alert Network From: Philip Bogdonoff, Director of Outreach Subj: Alert #016 Date: 29 October 1999

>>> CONTENTS

BREAKING NEWS * Del Monte reports strong profits, sees Y2K buying. * More Than One-Third of Schools Remain Non-Y2K Compliant. * FDA: Thousands of health devices not Y2K-ready. * CIA concerned about potential Y2K-induced nuclear accident.

"Y2KOUNTDOWN" * "Safety Holiday" Safer Than Emergency Shutdown.

COMING NEXT WEEK * National Report Card Update * More Grantee Reports * New "Best Practices"

>>> BREAKING NEWS

* October 29, 1999. Del Monte reports strong profits, sees Y2K buying. See www.y2kcenter.org/news/1029.html .

* October 27, 1999. More Than One-Third of Schools Remain Non-Y2K Compliant. See www.y2kcenter.org/news/1027.html .

* October 25, 1999. FDA: Thousands of health devices not Y2K-ready. See www.y2kcenter.org/news/1025.html .

* October 22, 1999. CIA concerned about potential Y2K-induced nuclear accident. See www.y2kcenter.org/news/1022.html .

>>> "Y2KOUNTDOWN"

"Y2Kountdown", is the Center's weekly "blast fax". It is sent to several hundred key media contacts in the areas of health care, health policy, the environment, as well as general assignment editors. Our latest issue is:

* Issue 15 / October 26, 1999 "Safety Holiday" Safer Than Emergency Shutdown

HTML versions of the Y2Kountdown faxes, suitable for printing and faxing, can be found at: www.y2kcenter.org/news/bf.html .

The text of the latest Y2Kountdown follows:

================================================= Y2Kountdown : Center for Y2K & Society Issue 15 : October 26, 1999 : 66 Days Left

Have You Heard?

Do you think there aren't any facilities in your area that handle high-hazard chemicals? With 66,000 such facilities in the U.S., you may be closer to one than you think.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Web site can help you find out. Go to www.epa.gov and click on "Search by Zip Code." Enter your ZIP code, select the Enviromapper database, and click on the "Submit" button for a computer- generated map of regulated sites in your area.

"Safety Holiday" Safer Than Emergency Shutdown

The Center for Y2K and Society has recommended that most chemical plants be required to take a "safety holiday" immediately before and after January 1 to minimize chemical accident risks, in response to a Texas A&M survey that showed that 85.6% of small and medium-sized chemical companies are not ready for Y2K.

A safety holiday for hazardous facilities entails a carefully planned shutdown during high risk Y2K times. Also essential are on-site experts to balance risks, coordination with emergency services and local officials, and assessment of the reliability of external utilities.

Critics have challenged the Center's safety holiday recommendation, asserting that the shutdown of a chemical facility is itself a safety hazard.

"It is true that plant shutdowns and start-ups are not simple procedures and can be dangerous," said Dr. Fred Millar, the Center's Director of Environmental and Public Safety. "But plants do know how to shut down and start up safely, and do so often for routine maintenance 'turn-arounds.' A planned shutdown is certainly safer than adopting a wait-and-see attitude, and then encountering the need for an emergency shutdown."

The safety holiday strategy lowers stress on local emergency response systems by removing potential hazardous materials accidents at a time when there will likely be many other demands for emergency aid due to Y2K failures. Furthermore, a safety holiday strategy brings public oversight into the mix, which in turn helps ensure a range of considerations beyond the company's bottom line.

DuPont, Monsanto, Rhone Poulenc, Chevron, Rohm & Haas (for its batch plants), and Mobil Oil (for its giant oil tankers) are among the companies that have announced Y2K "safety holidays."

Following are some questions you can ask chemical facilities in your community about their Y2K readiness:

* Have you completed Y2K-related remediation and testing of your safety-related systems?

* Do you anticipate any potential employment or public safety impacts from Y2K-related problems?

* Do you intend to shut down your facility for end-to-end Y2K testing? If so, when and for how long?

* Have you conducted or planned any integrated, whole-system Y2K testing with essential outside entities such as emergency services, power, water and suppliers?

* Has the Y2K progress of the major local utilities on which your facility depends been independently audited by state or local government to ensure their continued provision of services?

Chemical facility readiness is not just a business risk. Y2K safety holidays will protect our environment, workers, and communities.

It's not just about computers. It's about people. =================================================

>>> COMING NEXT WEEK

* National Report Card Update. More than 50 cities and towns have submitted report cards (see www.y2kcenter.org/planning/reportcards/ ) and we are updating our national summary. Look for it next week.

* More Grantee Reports have been submitted. We'll be posting them to the "Y2K Grant Program -- Reports" section of our Web site as soon as we can (see www.y2kcenter.org/grants/gs_reports.html ).

* New "Best Practices" have been collected, including the "Preparing for Emergencies" booklet created by the Jefferson County, West Virginia, Chapter of the American Red Cross. The booklet covers snow and ice storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, floods, and Y2K! It can be easily tailored to your community. We'll be posting it to the "Best Practices" section of our Web site next week along with a number of other "best practices" (see www.y2kcenter.org/bestprax/ ).

>>> TELL US WHO WE SHOULD REACH

Please write to us and suggest the names of organizations and leaders you think should be aware of our messages. We'll do our best to contact them. (Write to info@y2kcenter.org.)

You can help us get the word out about our site and its resources to as many people as possible by forwarding this Alert with your friends and colleagues.

The Y2K Community Report Card is an effective tool to engage civic leaders about Y2K preparedness. You can find a sample letter inviting people to use the Report Card on our Web site under "Planning... / Report Card Invitation" ( www.y2kcenter.org/planning/invitation.html ).

>>> SUBSCRIBING TO THE Y2K CENTER ALERT NETWORK

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Past Alerts are archived at www.y2kcenter.org/lists/alerts.html .

Thank you.

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-- Jean Wasp (jean@sonic.net), October 30, 1999