Article 4, By Ed Harvey
Title: Will Y2K shut off the heat?
The clock continues to tick. As we get up in the morning we see and hear the latest report on the coming day of doom. Will we survive?
Many people have heard reports that the electric and gas companies will not be able to function. As the false theory goes (note my emphasis), "the switches, dials and mechanisms will not work because computers control them. These computers will shut down on the Y2K date." WHEN THE UTILITIES STOP, LIFE STOPS!
My family and I moved here about 3 years ago from Seattle. The Midwest is the region that the family originated from and I guess you can say I have come home to my roots. It is a pleasant area with good hardy people. Resourceful, honest, hard working people. We could even say the salt of the earth.
Three years before we made the move I was lying in my bed at home in the Seattle area with one of the worst cases of flu of my life. I had all the pains, aches, sneezes, upset stomach….you name it, I had it. I was one sick puppy.
It happened to be winter and off of the Puget Sound a blizzard came roaring in. In that part of the country people do not know how to handle snow. They can't drive in it. The cities have no equipment to remove it. So the results were three feet of heavy, very wet snow and THE MAIN ELECTRICAL LINE TO SNOHOMISH COUNTY SNAPED IN MANY PLACES!
The whole county had no power for "5" days. The temperature dropped to about 15 degrees. No computer switch fouled this system. It was dozens and dozens of trees on high power lines.
For three days I huddled under a pile of blankets. When my wife got home from work, which did have heat, she would put on layers and layers of clothes to keep warm. Her tiny frame of 5 feet and 100 pounds was completely hidden under the mountain of clothes.
On the fourth day we moved to a motel in the next county, about 2 blocks away. They lost power for 1 hour during the storm. Wonderful heat and comfort! I survived! I survived even with the flu and such a tiny wife to huddle with. I have to admit I did enjoy the huddling.
Will there be problems due to the computers on Jan. 1, 2000? The utilities have been, are being and will be checked over and over again to correct the Y2K bug. But there is always the chance that something might not work. If it happens the work crews will get out and they will fix it. A bypass will be made or a new computer installed, but it will be fixed.
What should you do? Put on more blankets; huddle close to a person you love and wait. If it is too long do what I am going to do. The house next door uses power from another utility since it is in another county. I think I will visit my neighbors. They are resourceful, honest, and hard working people. We could even say the salt of the earth.
E-mail the editor