IP: What Washington thinks about Y2K (and NZ, and FEMA)

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

From: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>


Today I spoke about Y2K to an American Electronics Association luncheon in
Washington DC. A half-dozen members of the California legislature led by
Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist were connected via videoconference.

After I spoke, the host, Mike Vlahos, went around the room and asked for
comments from an audience of veteran lobbyists, lawyers, and Hill staffers.
A major concern was preventing -- or at least limiting -- Y2K panic. One
person even suggested rationing information the government releases to
journalists to prevent "scaremongering" stories.

Another worry was the international aspect of Y2K, and how even if the US
is OK much of the rest of the world could tank -- and what that national
security aspects of that would be. The Calif. legislators predicted local
governments and state governments would be better prepared than the Feds,
and called for "public-private" partnerships.

In other news, today we learned two more states (Wisconsin and Washington)
are planning to call out the troops for 1-1-00.

-Declan

********

[This is an unduly pessimistic story. As I have written at
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/digital/daily/0,2822,13900,00.html household
appliances and consumer electronics are not worth worrying about. But it is
worth noting what the mayor is saying. --Declan]

http://www.press.co.nz/01/99010632.htm   

New Zealand news from The Press - January 06, 1999 


            WELLINGTON -- Beware -- the millennium bug could
            strike anywhere. 

            Any machine or appliance containing a computer chip
            that was not manufactured recently could be at risk
            [...]
            Auckland's Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey says that in
            the worst case New Zealanders could spend the first
            weeks of the new millennium without services such as
            power, sewerage, and water. He wants the army on
            standby as for a civil defence emergency. 
            [...]

********

From: sysop () emergency com 
To: declan () wired com 
Date: 6 Jan 1999 13:31:10
CST 
Subject: FEMA Report on Y2K... 

FEMA Urges Local Communities, Emergency Services Sector & Public to Get Ready
Now for Y2K

Washington January 6, 1999 - Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
officials are urging the emergency management, fire and emergency services
communities and the public to get ready now for Y2K.

"It is very important that counties, municipalities, school districts and
other
organizations that have not yet begun to work on Y2K issues, start now," FEMA
Deputy Director Mike Walker said. "While some failures will be minor
annoyances, some may have more serious consequences."

The Y2K issue is worldwide and refers to electronic and computer system
problems that may occur because of the inability of date-sensitive devices to
compute "2000" when systems move from 1999 to the Year 2000 (Y2K). Virtually
all systems that rely on computers or electronic devices that refer to date
and
time may be affected by Y2K in one way or another. This includes power,
dispatch and communications systems, 911 systems, microcomputers, and much
more.

In a recent FEMA survey of state emergency management directors concerning Y2K
issues at the state and local levels, the directors reported that although Y2K
fixes are well underway in state-level emergency preparedness offices, the
emergency service systems of many counties and municipalities remain untested.

"Generally states and the larger local governments are aware of and making
some
progress toward resolving Y2K issues, however, many smaller local governments
as well as some state and territorial governments seem not to be aware of the
problem," Walker said. "Clearly the most serious potential for problems is at
the local level, and this is what we are concerned about."

In February and March, FEMA will conduct Y2K Consequence Management workshops
around the country to identify critical issues, assess vulnerabilities, review
contingency plans and consider policies and decisions that need to be taken to
deal with possible Y2K consequences. Participants will include state Y2K
emergency coordinators, emergency managers and state fire marshals as well as
regional representatives of FEMA's Federal Response Plan partners.

Many states also reported that they have not developed contingency plans
specifically for Y2K problems; instead they plan to address problems under
existing emergency plans or they expect to have their systems Y2K compliant in
time. Most states expressed some level of concern over the possibility of
power
failures, especially where power is provided by smaller utilities. Other areas
of concern cited by the states include limited or lack of resources to assess,
test and validate systems and fixes for Y2K problems.

"Every community, every organization and every individual has an obligation to
learn more about their vulnerabilities and take action to prevent potential
problems before they occur." Walker said. "Potential problems need to be
identified and addressed now."

As chair and coordinator of the Emergency Services Sector (EES), FEMA is
one of
34 sector coordinators working with the President's Council on Y2K Conversion
(www.y2k.gov), headed by Presidential Advisor John A. Koskinen. The EES group
is working to make sure that all segments of the nation's emergency management
community operate normally through the cross-over period from 1999 to the Year
2000 and beyond.

Note: FEMA's online information on Y2K can be found at www.fema.gov/y2k

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Emergency Information &
Media Affairs --- Washington, D.C.

Information Available 24 hours a day . . .
... on the World Wide Web:  http://www.fema.gov
... via fax-on-demand: phone in the U.S.A. (202) 646-FEMA (646-3362)
... via digital audio for broadcasters & print: contact eipa () fema gov
  and listen to the FEMA Radio Network on the FEMA Website using RealAudio



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