Central America Has Low-Tech Solution for Y2K

Updated 11:54 AM ET November 23, 1999

By Lorraine Orlandi

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Raul Chang, the technology wizard in charge of inoculating Nicaragua against the millennium computer bug, keeps three extra tanks of water in his bathroom at home in the capital. But that has nothing to do with Y2K.

"It's because every time I go to take a bath, miraculously there's no electricity, and that means no water," Chang said. "Nicaragua is a country that lives in an eternal state of emergency and that's a big advantage for us in terms of Y2K. We know about contingency plans."

Disaster-prone and technologically backward: That is how experts might describe Nicaragua and its Central American neighbors. But when the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, the reality behind those adjectives may prove the best defense against a technological nightmare caused by the date change.

"In the smallest pueblos the water system is a pump and somebody pumping it," one U.S. official working in Central America said. "Here they're not as computerized and dependent on computers as in other parts of the world. Here, if everybody loses Internet access, it probably wouldn't be as big a deal."

HEALTH, WATER, BANKING RISKS

In Nicaragua, with 4.5 million inhabitants, only 3 percent of households have telephones. A typical medium-sized business is "that group of ladies who make tortillas," Chang said.

Even the direst Y2K predictions may seem mild to Central Americans who have lived through civil wars and natural disasters such as last year's Hurricane Mitch, which left 9,000 dead and billions of dollars in damage across the region. "Here there is little danger to human life with Y2K," Chang said.

That does not mean there is no danger of Y2K failure in key public and private sectors if computers fail to recognize that the two digits 00 used in many older programs refer to 2000 and not 1900. Central American governments have spent tens of millions of dollars to come into compliance with international standards for Y2K preparedness.

Still the investment, and the potential for widespread disaster, is relatively small when compared to highly technological nations, experts say.

The State Department has judged Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala to be generally prepared for Y2K contingencies, with low to moderate risk for disruptions in some key sectors including water distribution, hospitals and banking.

Heavily computer-reliant countries such as Panama are more vulnerable than others but also have worked harder to protect themselves, according to U.S. consular reports.

"Panama's awareness of the Y2K problem in government, the private business sector, the health sector, the international financial sector and the Panama Canal Commission is high," a U.S. consular report said.

"Panama ... appears to be prepared to deal with the Y2K problem. There is a moderate risk of potential Y2K disruptions in the local banking and financial services sectors."

Health and aviation systems are among the greatest concerns in Central America. At airports and hospitals, computer systems are being updated or replaced to protect against failure, backed up by electromechanical and manual systems.

RETURN TO MORSE CODE

Recent airport renovations in Guatemala and Nicaragua brought in new equipment manufactured to be Y2K resistant.

"We have done exercises on problems that could come up. We've already put up all our clocks for 2000 and everything worked," Peter Zimeri, Guatemala's civil aviation chief, said. "Our biggest concern is that a neighboring country would have a failure."

Guatemala has implemented and tested manual air traffic control and alternate routes to be used in such an event. Nicaragua, which also recently overhauled its international airport, still has in place manual reflectors that can use Morse code to guide traffic if necessary, Chang said.

Guatemala's electricity, public health, telecommunications and banking sectors are at low risk, a U.S. consular report said. Guatemala City water and sewerage systems will likely experience Y2K disruptions in administrative offices, though it is unclear whether they would affect the largely non-automated water distribution infrastructure, the report said.

In El Salvador, the energy and telecommunications sectors appear to be prepared, while hospitals and health care providers have been slower to comply, the consulate said.

Honduras, like Nicaragua, is not heavily computerized and not expected to suffer major disruptions. The state-run telephone company, Hondutel, is "well advanced in its remediation efforts to ensure Y2K compliance for its equipment," the consulate said.

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), November 23, 1999

Answers

I'm trying to imagine what a "manual reflector" is, and how Morse code is involved, and whether the pilots know enough Morse to respond to it. Hmmm.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), November 23, 1999.

In the "old days" when this old lady was flying, by law the tower had to have all these things. A reflector is just that and used for giving signals. Morse code used to be mandatory for ATR pilots in the "old days". But they were equipped to give signals just like they did/do on aircraft carriers. During a war, carriers have to quite often run under radio silence, hence "manual"

Taz

-- Taz (Tassie123@aol.com), November 23, 1999.