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September 16, 1999 DES MOINES, Iowa — As the dawn of a new millennium approaches, two state Legislature-appointed think tanks gather underground in the basement of the Hoover State Office Building in downtown Des Moines to prepare the state for the last great challenge of the 20th century — the Y2K bug. "The Y2K situation is not the end of the world as we know it, but it's another one of many things that may cause a disruption to our lifestyle," said Thomas Hudson, Emergency Management Division year 2000 team leader. "The way to be prepared so that to minimize that disruption is to understand what may happen and be prepared to deal with it." The Information Technology Services state department and Emergency Management Division of the Iowa Department of Public Defense have teamed up since 1997 to prepare Iowa for the year 2000 phenomenon. The two departments said they are confident Iowa, which is ranked among the top three states in the country in Y2K compliance by the federal General Accounting Office, is prepared for the event. "I think it's going to be a relatively non-event in this state," said Paul Carlson, Y2K project manager. "And I say that because I know what we've done, and I have a lot of confidence in the way we've done it." Carlson is one of three Y2K project office administrators who have overseen the work of 39 Iowa state agencies and numerous contractors in the preparation of the state's government for the year 2000. Since June 1997, the Y2K project office has faced a daunting task — making all of the state government's 1,000 computer systems and 3,000 computer applications Y2K compliant. That amounts to 28 million lines of computer programming code. The office completed its Y2K compliance effort in July. "My gut is we probably did not catch everything," Carlson said. "There are some things we missed. [With] a project of this magnitude and complexity, only a fool would think they did everything perfectly." The Y2K bug can be found in computer systems that run on programs tracking time by the last two digits of the year. On Jan. 1, 2000, computers may interpret the year as being 1900. The bug could cause malfunction in computers, computer programs, controls for fire alarms and security systems and many other computer-aided systems. The result of such a malfunction could spell disaster. Since the fall of 1998, the Emergency Management Division, part of the Iowa Department of Public Defense, has been working to secure contingency plans and response mechanisms to provide emergency relief in the event of Y2K disasters. Hudson said in this way, the Emergency Management Division serves both a reactive and proactive role in dealing with Y2K debacles. "With an understanding that there may be somewhat of a diminished environment created as a result of the Y2K date-change event, the division has the skill and the training, the expertise, the background necessary to respond to those things that may happen throughout the state," Hudson said. As the Emergency Management Division focuses its efforts on preparing Iowans for the year 2000, the Y2K project office focuses more on preparing state government agencies for the Y2K bug. "I think the key is being able to maintain service delivery to Iowa citizens," Carlson said. The project is halfway through a series of four thresholds, or dates, when the Y2K bug could cause malfunction. July 1, 1999, marked the beginning of the state fiscal year 2000. Sept. 9, 1999, marked the only time in history when the timeline will read 9/9/99. It was also the 99th day of the year. "Thus far there's not even been a hint of a problem," Carlson said. Two hurdles remain for the Y2K project office and the Emergency Management Division. Oct. 1, 1999, marks the beginning of the federal fiscal year 2000, and Jan. 1, 2000, marks the beginning of a new millennium. "I don't think we should take anything for granted," Carlson said. "I think we should continue to lean forward in the foxhole." From now until Jan. 1, 2000, the project office will use future date testing to ensure every system is Y2K compliant. Future date testing is the simulating of the year 2000 by setting the date of programs ahead of Jan. 1, 2000. Meanwhile, the Emergency Management Division continues to plan emergency and relief efforts as Jan. 1, 2000, approaches. "We noticed that a lot of things could be affected by Y2K and that there ought to be contingency plans for critical functions whether they're computer-dependent or not," said David Miller, executive officer of the Emergency Management Division. Critical functions include power, water and fuel supplies, Miller said. In the late hours of Dec. 31, 1999, members of both the Y2K Project Office and the Emergency Management Division will assemble at the State Emergency Operations Center at the state armory in Camp Dodge, north of Des Moines. From there, state and federal officials and private sector individuals will observe the state of operations across Iowa and the world. This will give Iowa the opportunity to monitor certain situations that have caused problems in other parts of the world. "If there are things that are failing ... and we have the same things here, then we may get an early warning to put something under close watch," Carlson said. In the end, it will take a little faith and a little anticipation to conquer the Y2K bug. "We work on a premise, and nationally they're working on the same premise: Pray for the best and plan for the worst," Miller said. "And that's what we've been doing." |