Officials plan summit to prepare for Y2K problems

Robert Macy

Friday, May 28, 1999 | 5:14 a.m.

LAS VEGAS - Is Nevada ready for potential Y2K problems?

The jury is out on the sensitive issue, but state officials want to be prepared for the worst possible verdict at midnight, Dec. 31.

Some 300 industry and government leaders from throughout Nevada convene here Wednesday for a two-day summit to discuss potential computer problems as 1999 gives way to 2000.

"We want to make sure we all have our act together, that we're working as a team," Frank Siracusa, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, said Friday. "Our mission is to make sure we coordinate state resources, that the state is prepared to support local governments and the private sector if problems arise."

The summit was set up at the direction of Gov. Kenny Guinn.

Industry and government representatives will address issues such as service interruptions and contingency plans for those problems.

Represented at the summit will be fire services, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, the Nevada National Guard, casinos, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, banking and finance, contractors, utilities, public works agencies, transportation organizations, the grocery industry, the media and local, county and state government agencies.

Potential computer problems are of particular concern in Las Vegas, where authorities expect up to 700,000 people to welcome in the new millennium on the Strip.

"This is something that's unique to all of us in emergency management," Siracusa said of potential problems that might be caused by Y2K computer glitches. "We deal in emergencies all the time. We can define most needs and how to handle them. But this is something we're not experienced with."

Guinn has signed an executive order establishing a committee made up of state agencies to look at compliance issues and computer systems, Siracusa said.

"Our mission is to make sure we coordinate state resources, that the state is prepared to support local governments and the private sector if problems arise," the emergency chief said. "We're all in this together. Nobody's going to be out there alone."

What is the scope of the problem facing Nevada?

"My sense is that most feel that things are going to be just fine," Siracusa responded. "Most of the businesses we deal with, the utilities, county governments, local governments, have been doing a lot of work to make sure they're going to be compliant. The confidence level is pretty high. But in our line of business, you always have to prepare for the worst.

"Hopefully, we'll be sitting around in our operations centers playing cards" on Jan. 1, he said. "Nobody really knows."

The state agency will have operations centers set up Dec. 30-Jan. 2 to provide assistance for any governmental agency or industry plagued with computer problems.

The state can turn to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance if needed, Siracusa said. FEMA has set up 10 regional operations centers nationwide, with Nevada linked to the San Francisco office for any needs.

As a follow-up to the seminar, Siracusa's agency plans a full scale, multi-jurisdictional drill Dec. 9 to explore possible problems and how to solve them. The scenarios, he said, will be determined from the input gained in the Las Vegas summit.

"We want to be optimistic," Siracusa said. "We don't want anyone thinking the world's going to come to an end."