azstarnet.com
Tuesday, 24 August 1999
Forum says prepare for Y2K,
don't panic when glitches hit
By David Wichner
The Arizona Daily Star
Work for the best, prepare for the worst.
That was the message from government and utility
providers last night at a forum on the year 2000
technology problem.
``There is some reason to be concerned,because surely
there will be failures' related to Y2K problems, Sen.
Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., told about 450 people who braved a
monsoon storm to engage in the ``Y2K Community
Conversation' at the Leo Rich Theater.
``The best thing is to be well-informed and take care of
your family as you would for any emergency situation,'
said Kyl, who sponsored the forum with the city of
Tucson, the Y2K Community Partnership and the
President's Council on Y2K Conversion.
Many computer systems are expected to fail Jan. 1
because they can't properly process the year 2000 in
program data.
Military computer security and lagging fixes at the
Health Care Financing Administration top the concerns
of federal officials, said Kyl, who sits on the Senate
Special Committee on the Year 2000 Problem.
Kyl said the government is concerned that saboteurs
will use possible Y2K chaos to mask attempts to steal
or destroy data on government computers.
``There are foreign agents that have been active in that
area,' Kyl said. ``All of those things have been
happening, and we expect that will be exacerbated at
that time.'
Kyl said the government agencies have made great
strides in Y2K readiness since a Senate report in
February criticized the Defense Department and other
agencies for being behind on preparations.
``Most government agencies are in the 90 percent
compliance range,' he said.
One audience member asked about a recent report by
the U.S. Navy that predicts ``probable' or ``likely'
Y2K-related failures in electrical and drinking water
systems that serve 60 of roughly 400 naval or Marine
installations in many U.S. cities.
Citing a White House response to the report, Joel
Willemson of the General Accounting Office said the
Navy report was based on worst-case scenarios, and
systems were considered failure risks if the utility
could not document Y2K readiness.
Representatives from the Y2K Community Partnership,
made up of the city, Pima County, Tucson Electric
Power Co. and other local service providers, said they
are nearly ready for 2000.
Some of the panelists' progress reports:
* TEP Vice President Tom Hansen said the utility's
computer systems are ready for Y2K and TEP will
have a extra fuel stocks - including a 60-day supply of
coal - ready in case deliveries are disrupted. The utility
also can isolate itself from the nation's power grid, if
necessary, to avoid the effects of failures elsewhere,
Hansen said.
* Bob Weaver of Southwest Gas Corp. said the
company's Y2K fixes are 100 percent Y2K ready in
Southern Arizona and 99 percent ready overall, with
the exception of a systems in Phoenix that should be
fixed by the end of September.
* U S West has made 100 percent of its telephone
switches, customer-related billing systems and 911
links Y2K ready, spokeswoman Louise Rebholz said.
Other, desktop computer systems are expected to be
ready by the end of the October, she said.
``If you need telephone service at midnight on Dec. 31,
it will be there. If you don't need it, don't pick up the
phone,' Rebholz said, cautioning that an avalanche of
unnecessary calls could paralyze the phone system.
* The financial industry is among the best-prepared of
the critical services, Kyl said, cautioning audience
members against draining their bank accounts. He
advised people to incrementally draw a reasonable
amount of emergency cash before Jan. 1.
* Tucson Water Director David Modeer said the
department is about 95 percent Y2K ready and is
replacing some billing software that would have failed
in January. Added generators will allow the department
to deliver a reduced but adequate amount of water even
in a prolonged power failure, he said.
* The American Red Cross recommends that people
prepare for Y2K like any disaster that might disrupt
critical services - stocking supplies such as food,
water, cash or traveler's checks, batteries, blankets and
flashlights.
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Tucson was listed in the Navy report as "not likely."
Karen |
