I apologize in advance for some redundancy with the GAO thread below.

Transcript of Headline News Report, 7/14/99, 8:08 pm, MST.

Lynn Russell:

Is your home town ready to swat the Y2K computer bug?

A new congressional report on 21 big cities found only two, Dallas and Boston, have completed their Y2K preparations. According to the survey by the General Accounting Office, nine other cities say theyll be ready by September 30th. The remaining ten cities surveyed say their preparations will be completed between October 1st and December 31st.

In the background: First map has banner that says ready and shows Dallas and Boston.

Second map says ready by Sept 30th and shows: San Jose, San Diego, Houston, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Memphis, Jacksonville (FL), New York and Philadelphia.

Third map says ready Sept 30th  Dec 31st and shows: San Francisco, LA, Detroit, El Paso, San Antonio, Chicago, Columbus, Baltimore, Phoenix (!) and Washington D.C. (?!)

Cut to Senator Bob Bennett, Chairman of the Senate Year 2000 Committee:

Most cities are going to be alright, or at least think they are. We must remember that these are self-reported data. But there will be some that will have problems, and thats the pattern everywhere. Its the same with businesses, the same with Federal agencies. Most will b e alright, but there will be some with difficulties, and if you happen to live in one of the cities with difficulties, uh, you need to take some kind of steps to try to protect yourself.

Cut back to Lynn Russell

The survey found problem areas include water and wastewater treatment and 911 services. A full report in the morning with Linda Stouffer on Headline News First Watch.

-- ariZONEa (Y2K_made@CNN.com), July 15, 1999

Answers

This is obviously an advance report ahead of tomorrow's Senate hearing on local government preparedness.

More info at:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0015Ic

Looks pretty clear to me at the moment. Tomorrow's hearing will focus on large cities. Folks who live in the smaller towns will likely remain in the dark.

I hope I'm wrong.

:)

-- FM (vidprof@aol.com), July 15, 1999.

I just had to look up the story in the Boston Globe this morning and find out what they were really talking about (the ol' "Y2K READY" raised my antenna...)

here's the full story:

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/196/busi.../Study_Boston_one_of_two_ major_US_cities_ready_for_Y2K+.shtm

A few choice quotes: "Since electric companies, water treatment centers, and hospitals in Boston are privately owned, they WERE NOT [emphasis mine]included in the survey of the city."

Hrumphhhhhhhhhhhh!

""But not everyone is as enthusiastic about Boston's progress. David Eddy, a software consultant and longtime Y2K watchdog, said the city has patted itself on the back but has given little public information.

"'Places like Dallas, or even Texas as a state, have taken this much more serioulsy," Eddy said. "The citizenry wants to be told that everything is OK, so that is what is being said.'"

and one more..."Boston still lacks the completion of a contigency plan...but it should be ready by Aug.15 and it will be tested on an ongoing basis."

Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, doesn't it??? What a bunch of bull!

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

-- Mar (Derigueur2@aol.com), July 15, 1999.

Link to the Boston Globe report:

Study: Boston one of two major US cities ready for Y2K

Once more for emphasis:

"Since electric companies, water treatment centers, and hospitals in Boston are privately owned, they WERE NOT [emphasis mine]included in the survey of the city."

"Only Boston and Dallas meet all of the criteria for year 2000 readiness of the survey conducted by the General Accounting Office. Boston still lacks the completion of a contigency plan...."

So.... just what is included in the *criteria* for year 2000 *readiness* if only two cities passed the *criteria* and one did it with no data on electric companies, water utilities or hospitals, and no contingency plan????

We are in deep, deep doo-doo.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 15, 1999.

Just read what they say: "...have completed preparations."

Nothing is said of readiness, nothing is said of compliance. All that's claimed is that they've finished whatever it was they intended to do about Y2K. That's not really saying a whole lot. Bafflegab lives!

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), July 15, 1999.

Tom Carey... "have completed preparations"..

And that didn't even include CONTINGENCY PLANS!!! (or power or water or hospitals)

Sigh.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 15, 1999.

Deep is right!

Here's another gem from the Boston Globe Article:

"Among other efforts (notice they *never* mention what the other efforts are, and I can't find them anywhere!), city engineers earlier this year bought a Y2K-compliant computer to control 350 traffic signals downtown, which they concluded was cheaper than trying to make the old systems ready.

"'It's a great tribute to the leadership in Boston" said Senator Christopher J. Dodd..."

Yikes, a great tribute to Boston's y2k efforts is Traffic Lights...?!?

We are in deep...deep...

Does anyone know where I can find the actual *filled out* report?

sighhhhhhhhhh

-- mar (Derigueur2@aol.com), July 15, 1999.

In response to this study, Chicago's illustrious Mayor Richard Daley said that this study only illustrates that major cities have more work to do (because they are larger). I don't have a link yet for this I heard it on 106.7 FM Chicago. Most likely it will appear in print tommorrow.

(personal venting to follow) This is the ONLY thing I have heard our honorable leader say since I GI 1/99. Ha. (sarcasam to follow) How very comforting.

BTW miss you guys.

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), July 15, 1999.