At about 4pm CST my wife came home and turned on the radio to a classical music station in Chicago, WFMT.

During a newsbreak, she heard them say that "we" were recommended to "prepare for 2-3 WEEKS of possible disruptions" and that this was a change from the previous govt. recommendations of 2-3 days.

The fact that they mentioned the "change" is what caught her ear.

I did not hear this, she did. Can anyone else confirm this in another media form, like a press release or anything?

(I know the previous threads about govt. recommending to the states to prepare for 3 weeks, but this is apparently something different)

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999

Answers

plonk: It's been on KFBK, and CNN several times today. The government today release their final Y2K report and they mentioned seveal cities that would have problems. They said D.C., Ft. Worth, Boston, and I can't remember the others (there were 13 cities I believe). They said people living in government housing are at risk of not having elevators, and heat. Also mentioned in the report of government agencies that are not ready are DOD, housing, welfare, Dept. of Treasury, food stamps, medicare. Maybe someone here knows where to find the information on the web and post a link. They said that people in public housing have not been notified yet of the risks and what they should do. They did say that disruption in services could last several weeks and to prepare.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 22, 1999.

They aren't preparing for 2-3 days so why not 2-3 weeks? Why not 2-3 months?

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 22, 1999.

dear god, can't we just have one thread on an important subject without the smartass remarks of the chowbabe?

I wanted to send this to someone.

-- Sickofher (th@senough.stop), November 22, 1999.

Interesting report. If anyone has a link to this version of the story, please post it!!! I have been thru CNN.com and a bunch of news web sites and cannot find any reference to the 2-3 week suggestion. Thanks!

-- Irving (irvingf@myremarq.com), November 22, 1999.

noda, but found this on a guy hitting the jackpot at the ATM! [url]http://cnn.com/US/9911/19/fringe/generous.teller.ap/index.html [/url]

-- JackPot (story@cnn.com), November 22, 1999.

Were Denver or Chicago on that list?

BTW, how is anyone making min. wage, getting Gov. housing, or just struggling to make ends meet going to prepare even if they wanted to?

Do you think there might be a whole class of people that have been left out? Could be due to financial reasons or even a distaste of knowing about computers that many people will be forgotten and suffer from it.

One last thing. If 2 to 3 days really meant 2 to 3 weeks, does 2 to 3 weeks mean 2 to 3 months... years?

-- maid upname (noid@ihope.com), November 22, 1999.

LINK

Key paragraph snipped:

"Based on an audit by the Housing and Urban Development Department inspector general, Horn said that eight cities remain seriously behind schedule on Y2K repairs to public housing. The eight are Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, the District of Columbia, Fort Worth, New Orleans and Omaha, Horn said."

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), November 22, 1999.

I can't say for sure if Chicago was on the list. I went over to the New York Times, and found an article posted today called:

Final Grades Are Ready On Year 2000 Readiness

http://www.nytime.com/library/tech/99/11/biztech/articles/22puls.html

The cities aren't listed, but I am sure they will coming out tomorrow. You will have to register with the NY Times in order to read the article, but it's an eye opener and worth it IMHO.

We have been lied to all along, disinformation, spins, and frankly no one knows what the heck is going on. I also went over to the gov. Y2K site and The Parliament voted to shutoff it's nuclear missles for fear of an accidental release. Senator Bennett was not happy about that either. Article was dated November 18, 1999.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 22, 1999.

>Do you think there might be a whole class of people that have been left out?

I go back and forth on that one myself but I finally concluded not, the reason being that newspapers and t.v. have been mentioning preps, though with each one the time length of preps for is different. The government sure didn't come to my door, I mean, one does have to be functioning on even a low level with some personal qualities and responsibility. They've had potentially the same access to the media and information as most people. At no time have I had to punch in a top secret number for any news. I don't have cable as I made other choices in my life for the present time. I wasn't a Christian listening to a concerned Preacher urging all to prepare. I don't subscribe to any newspaper or magazine. In my case I do love the whole novelty of the net and I really love Macintosh computers. Someone I knew years back, who is a senior citizen female, had called me and said, "Hey did you know all the computers are going to crash and society will..." A friend word o' mouth per se.

Not liking computers, I don't think can excuse anyone. Personal choices come to roost and one is accountable for those. I don't know if it still exists but there used to be a competency test given to determine if one was capable of making choices for oneself. One was asked questions like the name of the President, Secretary of State, and so forth. They are, poor or not, expected and demanded by society to keep up on some current events.

If they don't know there is such a thing as the (Y2K) broken code, and to be prepared for at least 3-3 days, then these people need to be committed to mental institutions because they are seriously incompetent. (Exception of course being legally defined retardation, now that is possibly a group left out.)

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), November 22, 1999.

plonk,

Many analysts each have their own analysis and preparation recommendations. Off the top of my head I remember:

Larry Burkett 2-4 weeks www.cfcministry.org James Dobson 3 weeks www.focusonthefamily.org

Gary North 1.5 years thru 2001 growing season.

Mike Hyatt 1 year

Bruce Webster 1-2 months covers 80% of potential scenarios.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), November 22, 1999.

Bill, even with those time frame scenarios, it's still serious. There will no doubt be trouble. All it takes is a few people in vulnerable economically challenged areas to not receive their government handout, and the city has a crisis on their hands.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 22, 1999.

Bill P-
thanks for the link, but it doesn't answer my question yet.
The Washington Post article you linked to is very brief and no mention is made of any changes to the governments "2-3 day" stand.

I am not looking for info to make decisions on how long to prep, I have my own goals.

I am only looking to confirm what my wife heard on the radio today. I'm sure it will show up in the next few days if it exists.
I mean, who could resist holding up a document from the government that says "prep for 2-3 weeks" and not scream "What the hell was this 2-3 days crap all year long? Will the next announcement be 2-3 months? or 2-3 years?"

still looking (unless it got posted in a thread I haven't read yet...< i>MEMO TO SELF: Remember to RELOAD PAGE.

-- plonk! (realaddress@hotmail.com), November 22, 1999.

I have a good friend who is medically disabled and receives a soc. security check. I can tell you that I'm astonished that the gov't. thinks the amt. she gets could support her. She's been told that if she "played the game right" she'd get more money. She'd rather be honest.

Perhaps if the recommendations were made to prepare for at least the possibility of difficulties 18 mos. ago, she might have been able to squeak a couple dollars out each month to take advantage of 4 for a dollar canned goods specials. With one month to go folks in her position are completely helpless. Since she has many serious illnesses that stress tends to make more severe, I assured her 18 mos. ago that she needn't worry about warmth, food, water, etc.

I simply think it has been incredibly irresponsible for the folks that would find it the most difficult to prepare were not given more time to do so.

beej

-- beej (beej@ppbbs.com), November 22, 1999.

Heard this on the radio too.

A young army fella called ex-Representative Bob Dornan on his call in radio program. He asked Rep. Dornan, "Mr. Dornan, will they declare Martial Law?" Rep. Dornan said, "No, they aren't going to declare Martial Law."

Just today (believe it or not-... you'll believe it I know LOL), just today it dawned on me that that was the only answer he could give that young man.

Duh.

I have a neighbor who has helped our family before. He has a steady job, doesn't miss work and he works hard too. His home is probably to most of you a rundown (almost shack like) mobile home. His auto and most of his things are old, except for his fishing equipment which I imagine he loves to do. There isn't much he could do for himself if he did want to Re:y2k.

This is the class of people I'm talking about. I know we are all responsible and will in the circumstances coming find "our personal accountability". I guess... I guess many just get crushed in the cogs as they keep on turning.

(thanks for answering:)

-- maid upname (noid@ihope.com), November 23, 1999.

Maybe he can catch and sell fish for a living.

Godspeed,

-- Pinkrock (aphotonboy@aol.com), November 23, 1999.

Went to CNN.com ASAP last night--nothing. Watched CNN for over an hour...NOTHING. Listened to 24hr newsradio-nothing. Saw local hr news before bed. NOTHING.

NOWHERE was there a mention of government saying anything other than Y2K report says all is well. I'd sure like a link.....

-- RJ (LtPita@aol.com), November 23, 1999.

Regarding the poor: they mainly DO NOT have access to the Internet, nor even to computers, nor are they trained in their use. They only get what the mainstream media feeds them, and we all know how poor that information has been! Many of them do not have education. For many English is a difficult, new second language.

IF they had all of these things going for them, then they STILL would not have the means with which to prepare adequately. It is very difficult at best to do so when one, as I do, lives from paycheck to paycheck.

In late August I posted under Fairfax County Y2K meeting, and I repeated almost verbatim my conversation with the county's Y2K administrator following the meeting, to which I have a witness. The gist of it (and you can find specifics in the archives) was that they did not wish to tell the poor to prepare for more than a 3-day storm because it would only alarm them, since they did not have the means with which to purchase supplies, nor the room to store them if they did!!! THIS is the position of one of the wealthiest counties in America about its needy.

Now, anyone here(who shall remain nameless) who thinks she has all of the answers to post so glibly here, please rethink your know-it-all response and begin to cry in your heart, as I have, for the poor among us, who apparently are considered expendable. It could be you.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), November 23, 1999.