Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

State's Website Details Y2K Work

There are those who are still worried about the coming of Jan. 1, 2000, or Y2K, as it is called.

There are people still saying the predicted computer crashes will devastate the world in a manner no war possibly could.

Still others are urging people to stock up for the coming apocalypse.

But, the reality of the matter, according to available information, says otherwise.

The state's Y2K website (www.y2k.state.ar.us) shows charts on the progress Arkansas has made in becoming Y2K compliant. As of the end of October, the state was 95 percent ready for the coming of the year 2000.

However, there are some state agencies not as prepared as they should be at this time.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections, according to the web information, is 88 percent ready, while the Arkansas Department of Finance Authority is only 81 percent prepared.

The Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department is at the 88 percent point, with the Arkansas State Medical Board and Arkansas Department of Heritage both reporting being 86 percent ready.

All other state agencies have either achieved Y2K compliance or are more than 90 percent prepared.

The biggest fear of the Y2K bug is people being concerned about losing their utilities.

But, Entergy, Reliant Energy/Arkla and the state's electric cooperatives are all Y2K compliant now, having spent millions of dollars working to correct any potential problems connected with the change from 1999 to 2000.

In fact, Reliant Energy/Arkla put a Y2K team together and came up with three top priorities for the company to work on.

These priorities dealt with any activity immediately disrupting the physical production and/or delivery of energy; any activity impacting the financial end or customer service and operation process; and anything causing inconvenience or productivity loss in the normal business operations.

These have all been corrected to the best of anyone's knowledge.

However, as it has been stated repeatedly, no one knows for certain what will happen when Dec. 31, 1999 turns over and Jan. 1, 2000 arrives.

But Reliant Energy/Arkla has passed the tests produced for Y2K compliance.

Company officials have previously stated the only date-sensitive computers the company uses have nothing to do with the delivery of the product, but are primarily for administrative purposes.

The telecommunication companies operating in Arkansas are also Y2K ready, according to the web information.

In addition, the financial industry is also prepared for the coming of Jan. 1, 2000, as the FDIC has required the banking industry to be Y2K compliant for some time now.

According to the web data, the state's 9-1-1 emergency coordinators were surveyed, with the results showing 9-1-1 services should not be affected by the so-called Y2K bug.

So, in the event of an emergency, citizens should feel confident in using 9-1-1, where it is available.

But, for those people who think there will be problems when Jan. 1, 2000 arrives, they should prepare for it as they would a bout of severe winter weather.

It would be a good idea to stock up on canned goods, having a two or three day supply, along with two gallons of bottled water per day per person in the household.

Make sure the batteries in any flashlights are good, and there is some form of heat in the home.

Also, check and make sure a first aid kit is handy, in case of an accident in the house.

Keep the November bank statement to show what any account balances were, as these can be used should the unexpected occur and the computer systems crash.

Mostly, though, just use common sense and don't panic. According to the web information, any problems occurring because of Y2K should be corrected in a couple of days.