-Caveat Lector- ---- Begin Forwarded Message Source: Reuters December 8, 1998 Y2K threatens rural counties Survey shows half of U.S. counties have no strategic plans to tackle Y2K problems. By Vicky Stamas Half of the United States' counties have no strategic plans to tackle millennium bug computer problems that could snarl everything from ambulances to railroad signal lights to drinking water supplies, the National Association of Counties said Tuesday. In the first survey of its size at the local level, the group, which represents the nation's 3,069 counties, said only 50 percent of the 500 counties it surveyed last month are ready for potentially disastrous computer snafus on January 1, 2000. Sparsely populated rural counties are lagging most. 'To ignore the Y2K problem is to walk barefoot through a Nebraska pasture infested with rattlesnakes.' -- Tim Lowenstein, supervisor of Buffalo County, Neb. With only 13 months left before Year 2000, "urgency is the name of the game," said Terry Wood, who handles such problems for Montgomery County, Maryland. "It is a critical problem that has the potential for disaster," Betty Lou Ward, president of the group said. Rural counties fatalistic The Year 2000 problem stems from the early days of computers when memory was a precious commodity. Programmers used only two digits to indicate the year, and this may now cause computers to recognize 2000 as 1900 and crash or give inaccurate data. Most vulnerable are the thousands of small, rural counties dotting the nation, officials said. Of the 119 counties surveyed with less than 10,000 people, 74 have no countywide plans to prevent possible chaos. "They look at the problem as beyond their ability to solve," Tim Lowenstein, supervisor of Buffalo County, Neb., said of rural counties. "(But) to ignore the problem is to walk barefoot through a Nebraska pasture infested with rattlesnakes," he said, stressing the problem is "fixable" by even the tiniest localities. Girding for gridlock By contrast, all but one of the 16 counties surveyed with half-a-million or more people said they had countywide plans, the survey found. Asked for worst-case scenarios, officials described cities with elevators marooned on 30th floors, traffic grids paralyzed by dark traffic signals, and 911 emergency response systems thrown into chaos. But officials said many counties are making progress. While some have no strategic plan, 91 percent have hired someone to handle the problem and officials in 77 percent of those counties have already begun working on the issue. As for the pricetag, Los Angeles County, the largest in the survey, said it will cost $155 million to fix the problem. By contrast, tiny Ohio County, Indiana, with a population of 5,458, expected $400,000 in costs. Other findings In other findings, less than half of counties have tackled the stickiest Year 2000 problem -- searching systems for embedded computer chips that must be checked. And less than one third those surveyed plan to test their systems countywide, even though such systems often are linked. Nearly three quarters have no stopgap plans if the emergency systems they put in place fail, added the survey, prepared for the group by National Research, Inc. Overall, 23 percent of counties said they will spend the most to fix computers involved in general government administration while 16 percent said fixing tax and finance systems will be the costliest, the study said. Eleven percent said modifying emergency response systems will cost the most while nine percent cited fixing court related programs. Copyright (c) 1998 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
