City emergency shelters ready for Y2Collapse By BERNIE GRAUER The Glenwood Post

GLENWOOD SPRINGS -- Eight emergency shelters will be available New Year's Eve in Glenwood Springs, in case of a Y2K disaster.

Robin Clemmons, the city clerk who has taken charge of the city's Y2K preparations, told city council Thursday that two of the shelters will be Red Cross certified: First United Methodist Church, next to city hall, and Mountain View Church, near Buffalo Valley.

"Red Cross certified means they will have heat, electricity, medical personnel, water and cooking facilities," Clemmons said Friday.

She said that city officials hope people who need extra care, but not hospital care, would use the Red Cross certified shelters.

The other six city shelters will have alternate cooking facilitates and first aid supplies. Heat, electricity and bedding will not be provided.

"We're telling people that they'll be most comfortable at home, in case of a power failure," Clemmons said.

Six non-Red Cross certified shelter areas will be available at the following churches: the school of St. Stephen's Catholic Church on Blake Avenue, St. Barnabas' Episcopal Church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, First Presbyterian Church, Holy Cross Lutheran and the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

Y2K problems have been anticipated as 1999 turns to 2000 at midnight Dec. 31. Computer chips and the software that runs them have, for the most part, not been programed to recognize the year 2000. Since computers are involved in every aspect of American life, from utilities to communications, a large series of break downs could wreak havoc.

The city, as well as utilities and virtually every business have been working on eliminating the problem and anticipating emergencies at the turn of the odometer. Mangers of electricity and gas producers in the state have said there is very little likelihood of major problems.

Clemmons said the city will have a complete, written Y2K emergency plan finished by Wednesday.

In other city council activity, it voted against amendments to airport regulations on the second reading of the ordinance -- a fairly unusually occurrence. A workshop with the Airport Committee Thursday afternoon produced a number of suggested changes to the ordinance, which limited flying hours.

Pilots had no problem with the prohibition on night use of the airport, but want greater flexibility for morning flights.

City officials made no promises about any airport expansion. They said they would look favorably at allowing up to 18 hangers for small aircraft to be erected at the owners' expense on airport grounds, subject to an annual lease fee to the Airport Enterprise Fund.

Mayor Sam Skramstad said he had attended an elected officials meeting on the formation of a Regional Transit Authority. He predicted that Basalt and Carbondale would sign a resolution indicating preliminary interest in joining one.

An RTA can be formed by two or more governments to run public transit. It could run an improved valley bus system from Aspen to Rifle and act as the umbrella organization for a valley rail system from Glenwood to Aspen.

http://www.searchcolorado.com/glenwood/stories/120499/new_1204990032.shtml

-- LOON (blooney10@aol.com), December 14, 1999

Answers

Both of these shelters are in churches. The ACLU will barely have enough time to petition the Court to order these churches to dismantle any and all symbols of Jesus, Mary, God, etc before the Sheeple might show up.

Better to let people starve and die of exposure to insure that darn 'separation of church and state', even if it is totally bogus.

-- Buffalo Bob (buffalo_bob42@hotmail.com), December 14, 1999.

Ooh, good spot, Bill. :)

Hey, if I start an impromtu reading class with the kiddies, does that mean the shelter becomes a school? Then no one can pray, we get to go on an ikonoclastic rampage, AND no one is allowed a gun within 1000 yards!

There's a nice defence when TPTB come a-knocking. "Git those dang soldiers offa ma lawn. I got me a copy a' Green Eggs 'n' Ham in here."

On a serious note: those other six shelters only have cooking facilities and first aid supplies. Bring your own food, bedding, heating and light. An open door and a couple of propane stoves and band-aids is just window dressing.

Still, at least they're doing something. My local community has nothing. Doesn't worry me personally in the very short term, but I can see past the end of my nose. I won't long survive my community (ha!) losing what little sense of identity it still possesses.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 14, 1999.

>> Hey, if I start an impromtu reading class with the kiddies, does that mean the shelter becomes a school? Then no one can pray [...] <<

Acting the fool for our amusement, eh, Servant? Ever heard of parochial schools?

Bill, you lovable jackanapes, ever voted in a church? Ever hear the ACLU object to it?

Fah! Disinformation is supposed to be funnier coming from the mouths of right-wingers than it is coming from BATF?

Praying for you both to shake those ugly little bugs out of your heads.

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), December 14, 1999.

>The other six city shelters will have alternate cooking facilitates and first aid supplies. Heat, electricity and bedding will not be provided.

A person can be without heat and electricity in his or her own home. I'm not quite sure just how these are "shelters." Shelters from what?

-- Paula (chowbabe@pacbell.net), December 14, 1999.

I saw this article posted and wanted to add that Eagle County in Colorado is also providing some shelters at 2 schools and a senior center, but they are stressing the fact that there is ONLY room for 100 people at each shelter. The sherrifs office is advising that each household have water, alternate heat, and food stored just in case??? The paper said that there will be a marking system put in place that if you require less attention than someone new arriving you would then be asked to move to another area of the building. I think most cities have some shelter plans but as stated I think the best thing is for each household to be prepared for themselves. Take care.................

-- thelees (thelees@well.com), December 15, 1999.