Thursday, December 16, 1999
Tristate officials on the job - just in case
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
While others celebrate the new year by clanging pans and drinking potent libations, Frank Young will be sipping soft drinks in Warren County's emergency operations center, waiting for Y2K fallout.
“I don't expect any big Y2K problems,” said Mr. Young, director of the Warren County Department of Emergency Services in Lebanon, “but I and two staff members will be at the operations center all night.”
Emergency management agencies in the eight-county Greater Cincinnati area say they anticipate no Y2K disasters. Still, they're preparing for the worst.
All except Butler County will staff their offices on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Butler County's staff will be on call, as always, said William Ray Turner, director of the county Emergency Management Agency.
The agencies have developed special contingency plans and many have taken steps to educate the public about how to prepare for Y2K.
Governments, businesses and personal computer users throughout the world have been worried that many computers will crash in 2000 when the 99 year designation turns to 00. Problems could occur if computers misread 00 as 1900.
Emergency officials say wide spread electrical power failures, water cutoffs and other problems are highly unlikely because utilities, telecommunications companies, government agencies and private industries have addressed the Y2K issue.
“There may be some minor disruptions to individual businesses, but we don't expect anything major,” said Don Maccarone, director of the Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency.
If telephone exchanges clog or fail in the Tristate, amateur radio operators and Citizens Band radio operators will be on standby to provide an alternate communications network.
“They live in all parts of the county,” Mr. Maccarone said. “They can be our eyes and ears.”
If there's an electrical power failure, emergency management agencies will work with utilities to restore power and will activate emergency shelter plans if necessary.
County emergency operations centers will be in touch with state and federal agencies and will know if Y2K problems occur elsewhere as midnight approaches in Greater Cincinnati.
“If there are any major communication problems, we should know about them before they get here,” said Bary Lusby, director of the Kenton County Emergency Management Agency.
Such warnings will spur local agencies to call in staff.
But emergency management agencies can't provide for everyone's needs in a major emergency. They can't lend generators and cell phones to the public and provide food and water to everybody who needs them.
That's why the emergency agencies are urging every household to be ready for Y2K.
“If we're prepared for a winter storm, we'll be prepared for Y2K problems,” said Butler County's Mr. Turner.
Butler County held three public workshops this month on how to prepare for Y2K and general emergencies, including one Wednesday at the Hanover Township Fire Department.
“We need to take personal responsibility at home,” Mr. Turner said.
Emergency officials are worried that a lot of people will test their telephone lines a few minutes after midnight on New Year's Day by dialing any number or worse, dialing 911.
That could cause major telephone problems.
“A lot of people normally call their friends and relatives at that time anyway to wish them happy new year,” said Jim Owens, director of the Clermont County Department of Emergency Planning and Operations. “If people dial their phones to make sure they work, there could be a major overload.”
Emergency officials also are concerned that people will interpret any service disruption on New Year's Day weekend as a Y2K problem.
Electrical power failures could be caused by snow or ice storms or a motorist crashing into a utility pole, Mr. Turner said.
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