Albuquerque - Emergency Command Posts Set

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Rollover/Back-Up Forum : One Thread

Emergency Command Posts Set

Link

By Michael Coleman and John J. Lumpkin

Journal Staff Writers

If Y2K triggers any Y2-chaos, the state of New Mexico and the city of Albuquerque should be ready. State and city officials said Wednesday that they are not expecting major problems, but they have prepared for the worst.

The New Mexico Department of Public Safety's $4 million, state-of-the-art Emergency Management Center near the National Guard complex south of Santa Fe, will serve as the state's eyes and ears for the transition to the new millennium.

"We can coordinate -- on the spot -- a response to any potential problems," said Erin Kinnard, spokeswoman for the department.

A second Emergency Operations Center, operated by the city of Albuquerque, will watch over New Mexico's largest metropolitan area.

"There are a lot of events going on throughout the city, a lot of people on the streets," said Julie Hicks, spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Baca. "We want to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Top-ranking officials from the State Police, FBI and National Guard will be on duty at the state command post outside Santa Fe, as will state highway, engineering and environment managers and representatives of utility companies and the Red Cross.

Kinnard said the massive preparation is unprecedented at the state's 2-year-old emergency center.

"This is definitely the largest operation the Emergency Management Center has undergone," Kinnard said. But that doesn't mean officials expect serious disturbances.

"No one really knows for certain what to expect," Kinnard said. "Certainly there could be minor (computer-related) disruptions in service, but ... we really think it's going to be quiet."

New Mexico public safety officials are not overly concerned about a terrorist attack in the state, despite recent FBI warnings of potential terrorist activity in major American cities.

"The department is not aware of any group planning any terrorist acts within our state," said Capt. Robert VanderHee of the department's Special Investigations Division.

Most state emergency officials will be stationed in the center's main operations room. The room, often compared to a NASA or military control center, has a wall-size television screen and individual computer/communication stations for staffers.

The operations room has a separate chamber for the governor to allow him to monitor activity and listen in on critical discussions. On New Year's Eve 1999, the room will be occupied by Lou Gallegos, Gov. Gary Johnson's chief of staff. Johnson is to attend a private party in Albuquerque.

In the past, the emergency center has been used to monitor forest fires and to coordinate airdrops of food for livestock caught in blizzards.

The Y2K problem -- also known as the millennium bug -- stems from some older computers only being able to read the last two digits of the year. Some systems, if not corrected, could read Jan. 1, 2000 as Jan. 1, 1900, leading to malfunctions.

Many other parts of the world and United States will usher in the new year before New Mexico, which is in the Mountain Time Zone. State and city officials will be watching what happens in time zones to the east, in advance of midnight New Mexico time.

If the millennium bug strikes the state emergency operations center, generators and alternate communications systems will be available.

Albuquerque's command post in Southwest Albuquerque near Central and 114th Street will be fully activated for the first time since it was built earlier this year.

Albuquerque and Bernalillo County police, fire, public works, communications, medical, utility, Red Cross and Salvation Army officials will be on hand. They will be ready to dispatch crews and equipment to any local hot spots.

Mayor Baca will spend most of New Year's Eve at celebrations at Civic Plaza and the Albuquerque Convention Center in Downtown Albuquerque. But Hicks said he would go to the city's emergency center in a crisis.

Throughout Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, police, sheriff and fire stations will be staffed throughout the night, so people can reach emergency workers if telephone systems fail, authorities said.

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@AOL.COM), December 30, 1999


Moderation questions? read the FAQ