So many people on this board seem to be from the Northwest, California or the South. Is anyone here from Michigan? According to utilities, Michigan's in wonderful shape? What's your take? Thanks.

-- VLS (inbusiness@theoffice.net), March 09, 1999

Answers

I'm on the west side, about an hour east from Lake Michigan. I went to a Health Services forum in Grand Rapids about a month ago, and the topic for the month was Y2k. They had someone representing Consumer's Energy on the panel; it all sounded good, but then the rep stated that Consumer's Energy "could not offer any guarantees." Also, he mentioned the interconnectivity issue pertaining to vendors, and stated that they were concerned about that.

I wasn't too far from the pipeline explosion in Allegan county. The lights flickered on and off for a couple of minutes...apparently, there were power lines in close proximity to the area where the explosion occurred in the pipeline.

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), March 09, 1999.

Yes, I'm from Grand Rapids area. The Y2k thing is rather new to me about 9 mos. ago my friend started talking to us about it. As far as the utilities, banks and credit union in Mi they would have us believe that Mi is in wonderful shape. I'm not in the business world and I have to take the little notices at their word,but still I'm going to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. This probably didn't help much for an answer but you did find someone else in Mi Appy Trails Kathy G

-- Kathy G. (appykat@alteco.net), March 09, 1999.

Thanks for the input. Seems all the preparedness action is taking place in the least populated areas (as in generic west side of the state). Haven't heard a peep from Detroit metro residents, although in a thread a while back, a woman wrote that her son who works in an auto plant (not necessarily Michigan) became a GI after he saw "Non-Y2k Compliant" stickers beginning to appear on machinery.

Hope to hear from more of you, and about what you're doing to prepare for possible problems.

-- VLS (inbusiness@theoffice.net), March 09, 1999.

VLS:

I live in Kalamazoo. I'm working on the Calhoun-Kalamazoo-Van Buren counties Community awareness group. Drop me a line if you are in the area and would like to attend our next meeting.

If not in West Michigan, are you then in the Detroit area yourself?

-- Jon Williamson (pssomerville@sprintmail.com), March 09, 1999.

Oops!

At our last meeting, the representative from Consumer's Power stated in no uncertain terms that "if the electricity went off, it would be for no more than an hour". Heck, that's a better guarantee than we get with winter storms! That answer did not much reassure the audience.

Also, and this was very disturbing, we had a police officer (lieutenant) who was in charge of Emergency Management Planning for Kalamazoo County. When asked if the water system would stay on, he said "that is what you are here for". Odd. Troubling. On our own? Me, I'm moving out of town.

-- Jon Williamson (pssomerville@sprintmail.com), March 09, 1999.

Oops!

At our last meeting, the representative from Consumer's Power stated in no uncertain terms that "if the electricity went off, it would be for no more than an hour". Heck, that's a better guarantee than we get with winter storms! That answer did not much reassure the audience.

Also, and this was very disturbing, we had a police officer (lieutenant) who was in charge of Emergency Management Planning for Kalamazoo County. When asked if the water system would stay on, he said "that is what you are here for". Odd. Troubling. On our own? As for my "take", I think we'll be lucky to get by with Ed's "year of disturbances and decade of depression". I'm expecting worse.

Myself, I'm moving out of town.

-- Jon Williamson (pssomerville@sprintmail.com), March 09, 1999.

Personally, I don't have the choice of moving out of town, but at least I'm not in what would traditionally be considered one of the Detroit suburbs.

I do have lots of farmland around my town and am close to a community of very smart people (hint: do "maize & blue" ring a bell to any of you?)

Problem is--I don't know many of the farmers, and those I do know grow mostly one crop (hay, beans, etc.). Not sure how to get to know the rest of them, but knowing them would make me more comfortable in case my preps fall short.

Suggestions?

Like to here more from Michiganders. Michiganians. Whatever us folk call ourselves these days. . .

-- VLS (inbusiness@theoffice.net), March 10, 1999.

Michiganians,yes. We're in the Grand Haven area. I've got a friend that works for a local power co. and a couple of weeks ago he was told that the company was renting and/or buying whatever generators they could get their hands on. They were told that they were going to see truckloads of them coming in. This matches a report from a woman that I recently met who owns a local rental store. She said that the power co. had already reserved all of their generators for the end of this year. I think that the little stories that make it to the public in this way might be the best we're going to get to help us get an idea what we're facing unless and until something big happens. Keep connecting the dots. I'll see if I can get more details.

MJ

-- MJ (workshy@eagledesign.com), March 10, 1999.

If you don't feel comfortable posting publicly feel free to email me. (Especially, if you've heard something that hasn't appeared in the local papers or in a 10 second soundbite on tee vee!)

-- VLS (inbusiness@theoffice.net), March 10, 1999.

not in michigan, but only a couple miles south of the line, in elkhart county indiana.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), March 10, 1999.

check this site if you haven't already: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/sep95_96/mi/frame.html according to it our source is primarily coal and nuclear, both of which have their share of Y2K concerns, obviously, even if the utilities have their delivery systems ready we have a group from 8 households that meet once a month on these concerns, located between Mount Pleasant and Big Rapids if anyone else in the area is interested, please email me

-- Steve Hartzler (s.hartzler@usa.net), March 10, 1999.