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Officials agree: No major problems expected January 1

By Lisa Majors-Duff

While many may be only concerned with whether they have enough New Year's Eve party supplies this Friday night, those who have been preparing for Jan. 1, 2000, don't expect any major problems.

"We have been at an Emergency Level One alert mode since Dec. 19," said Jackson County Emergency Services Coordinator Mike Ensley. "We'll stay at that level for about five days after Jan. 1." Emergency Level One is the lowest of four alert levels utilized by the county EMS office, said Ensley, who plans to have additional emergency personnel on duty from about 11 p.m. Friday until 1 a.m. Saturday.

The situation known as "Y2K" or "Millennium Bug" is the result of computer programming practices that date back to the 1950s and '60s designed to save space. For example, the last two digits, like 99, were used to represent the year 1999. Without repair, some computer systems will assume that Jan. 1, 2000, means 1900 and either stop functioning or provide incorrect calculations, some experts believe.

"We have been preparing all year for this event. We've upgraded our 911 office with new equipment, radios and generators, and they've all be tested and certified Y2K compliant," he said. "We are treating (Jan. 1) like any other major disaster or winter storm. But I'm not expecting anything major to happen," Ensley said.

Minor occurrences can be expected, including short-term power outages, Ensley said. As a result each individual should prepare their homes with enough supplies for about three days, including extra water, non-parishable food and a secondary heat source.

Emergency service personnel throughout the county have been briefed on the county's Y2K contigency plan, including the American Red Cross and Department of Social Services, both of which would staff shelters if needed, said Ensley. Health care agencies have been advised to have to stock up on medical supplies.

Fuel stations and propane gas suppliers have all indicated they are ready with full tanks, as have grocery store managers, said Ensley.

"People need to know that 911 should only be used for emergencies," Ensley said. "Calls about power or phone outages should be made to NP&L or GTE."

For the past two years, WestCare Health Systems has been working on a Y2K preparedness plan, said Shawn Remacle, their director of information systems and Y2K coordinator. Remacle said that plan included all of WestCare's entities, not just Harris Regional Hospital.

"We've concentrated mainly on biomedical devices, information systems and telecommunications, environmental services, mechanical equipment, and supplies and materials, including pharmaceuticals," he said. "We've identified those things that were at-risk and have prioritized and upgraded - we're ready," he said.

"Being in the emergency business, we were already prepared with backup generators for any power outages, we have gravity-fed water and tanker truck loads of reserve water and a 30-day supply of fuel."

On the midnight hour what WestCare officials will be paying special attention to are the biomedical devices.

"Even though they are registered with the FDA and we know they are in compliance, will be monitoring them closely for patients safety because patient safety is what we are about," Remacle said.

Local law enforcement agencies are also preparing for the worst but expecting the best, Jackson County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Jim Ashe said. All 41 Sheriff's Department staff members have been assigned at least one 12-hour shift each day from Wednesday (Dec. 29) until Monday, Jan. 3. Their plan, Ashe said, is to cover the rural areas of the county and assist with emergency calls or those who might just need to be reassured that everything is OK.

"We have 505 square miles to cover and 30,000 residents to protect," Ashe said. "We plan to extend out to the far reaches of the county and help those who are alone.

"We don't expect anything to happen, but we'd rather be out there than have to worry about bringing people in," he said.

Jeff Jamison, chief of the Sylva Police Department, will require his officers to work Dec. 31 through Jan. 7, except for those with regular days off who will be on stand by. Extra patrols will be used in the city limits Friday night, he said.

"I don't anticipate any problems other than just the normal," Jamison said. "But we want to be prepared in case there are any problems."

Like thousands of businesses, government and individuals across the country, Nantahala Power and Light has prepared for the Year 2000.

"As part of our rediness testing last October, we set the computers that control our power plants and distribution system forward to December 1999," said Ken Stonebraker, NP&L vice president for finance. "These computers are performing as required."

An important part of NP&L's program this year has been contingency planning efforts, he said. "While we expect the best on Jan. 1, 2000, we have plans to help us address any unexpected issues that may arise," Stonebraker said. "Our goal, as always, is to continue providing safe, reliable electricity for our customers."

"GTE has run several national tests in preparation of Y2K, and we're ready to go," said Steve Toler, the company's regional director of public affairs.

During the tests, GTE simulated different situations and problems that might be experienced. "We ran a major test on June 30, then another on 9-9-99. On Dec. 9, we held a drill, and we passed all with flying colors, so we've very confident that we'll have no problem during the rollover."

Toler did caution customers against calling right at midnight Dec. 31 to prevent the possibility of telephone traffic jam. "We expect that time to be the mother of all Mothers' Days," Toler said, comparing the millennium midnight hour to the busiest calling day of the year.

"We're asking customers to spread their calls out throughout that day and night. The same goes for e-mail and Internet use," Toler said.

Food Lion store manager Perry Witt confirmed the Sylva grocery store will have extra bottled water and canned food items on its shelves this weekend.

"We're not expecting any shortages, none whatsoever," said Witt, who also confirmed that the store has plenty of champagne for those who plan to toast the arrival of the new millennium. One of the strongest warnings about a Y2K crash came last week from N.C. Department of Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, who warned about the consequences.

"Alcohol-related crashes killed 513 people on North Carolina highways last year, and that's 32 percent of the total fatalities for all of 1998," Long said. "New Year's Eve has historically been a time when social drinkers consume too much alcohol. If they decide to get behind the wheel of a car, their problem becomes a problem for all of us.

"It's time to end the needless loss of life and injuries that occur as a result of alchol on our roads," Long said. "If you consume alcohol, don't drive. Choose a designated driver. Don't allow impaired drivers behind the wheel."

Another strong warning was issued recently by Senator John Edwards to North Carolina's elderly residents. In addition to being vulnerable to scams, as a whole, senior are more suscepitable to minor inconveniences because of their reliance on benefit checks and health care agencies, he said. "In order to protect ourselves from scams, the FBI recommends that we never provide personal information to callers," Edwards said. "That means never give an unsolicited caller your credit card number, Social Security number or any other personal data."

Edwards also advised seniors to resist their urge to withdraw all their money from finanical institutions.

"Some seniors, especially those who lived through the Great Depression, are planning to withdraw all their money," Edwards said. "Let me say to them: don't. I spoke with Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan about this issue. He said that money is safer in the bank than hidden in our homes or in our wallets where it would be a target for criminals.

"Finally, seniors should be able to breathe easy about their Social Security and Medicare checks," he continued. "In North Carolina, 1.3 million individuals receive a Social Security check in their mailboxes each month. There are 1.2 million Medicare beneficiaries.

"The Social Security Administration and the Health Care Financing Administration know that these checks are vital in North Carolina, and they have taken the necessary steps to prevent Y2K glitches," said Edwards. "Anyone who has trouble should contact their local office, which is authorized to issue replacement checks."

Others in the nation's capital have also been preparing for the Year 2000 date change by creating a free, 31-page informational booklet that discusses the Y2K issue and its potential impact on utilities, health care, financial and government services, travel, and consumer issues. "Y2K and You," developed by the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, also features a Y2K checklist that offers common-sense tips on personal rediness for the date change.

Checklist suggestions include preparing for the long holiday weekend by having enough food and water, keeping copies of important records before and after Jan. 1, and checking with manufacturers to make sure that home electronics are Y2K ready.

Full information can be found by visiting the council via the Internet at www.y2k.gov or by calling toll free at 1-888-USA-4Y2K (1-888-872-4925).

No one need worry about a lack of coffee on the morning of Jan. 1. According to a survey of major household appliances conducted by the Washington Post indicates that everything from automobiles to dishwashers to digital watches should work because few, even those that are programmable to start and stop, are calendar sensative. Camcorders, cameras and coffee makers all should work normally Jan. 1.

The only potential problem was identified with fax machines manufactured prior to 1990. These machines may have clocks that malfunction or require resetting.

"We don't anticipate Y2K problems at Western Carolina University," said Bill Studenc, associate director in the Office of Public Information. "The computing staff has conducted extensive tests and has determined that Western's administrative computing systems and applications are Y2K-compliant. A full-week test of WCU systems, rolling over the date to 2000 and allowing the systems to operate for an entire week, went smoothly."

In terms of the campus physical plant, a complete inventory of electrical systems, heating and cooling operations and the like was also conducted.

"Of course, the university will be closed for the holiday break when the roll-over to the year 2000 occurs, but physical plant, housing and security staff will continue routine monitoring of all operating systems," he said.

Back to Archive: 12-30-99.