January 21–28, 1999

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The State Prepares for the Date

That clever Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge doesn't miss a beat. Or a byte, for that matter. He is attempting to transform the potentially disastrous Y2K bug into a marketing tool for the state. With Pennsylvania's government and businesses busily preparing for the Year 2000, Ridge hopes the state's forward thinking will draw more high-tech companies to the state.

In contrast to the majority of state governments that are just now getting on the ball, Pennsylvania began testing its computer system for Y2K compliancy back in August of 1996.

"We see Y2K as an economic development issue," says Scott Elliott, a spokesperson in the governor's office. "Other states are coming to us, looking for direction. Pennsylvania is ahead of the curve—very few other governors are talking about the Year 2000, but Gov. Ridge recognized the problem three years ago."

Pennsylvania's approach to the computer crisis is receiving scads of national attention. On Dec. 29, The Wall Street Journal ran a long story applauding the state for taking a multi-pronged approach to raising awareness about the Year 2000 computer glitch and successfully getting the word out to so many people. Ridge has been quoted in Business Week, Associated Press articles and National Journal.

Pennsylvania state government set a deadline of December 1998 to complete testing on all 46,000 computers in the system—Ridge wanted a year-long buffer—and that deadline was met. The total cost of making all the upgrades is estimated at $40.2 million. Since the spring of 1997, monthly agency report cards have provided status updates to various agency heads.

Ridge's team devised the catchy slogan "Pa2K" to draw attention to the impending computer bug. If you check out the Pa2K Web site (www.pa2k.org), you will find a dozen different pieces of campaign propaganda. Whether you prefer paper, video or audio, the state has created Y2K materials that will work for you. A survival workbook, a 30-minute video, four Y2K posters and an interactive CD-ROM are all designed to help Pennsylvanians devise an "action plan" that will head off any disasters come the new year.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) says it is conducting preparedness exercises like it would for any other emergency, like a flood or ice storm.

"If the worst case scenario for the Year 2000 plays out, it isn't much different than any other natural disaster," says Marko Bourne, spokesperson for PEMA.

In certain ways, planning for Y2K emergencies is actually easier than preparing for a weather or terrorism crisis.

"We are working with a defined date, so we can plan it out," Bourne says.

While everyone needs to be aware of the potential for power outages and downed phone lines, he says "we aren't going to see these gloom-and-doom scenarios that are being predicted."

The agency hopes to quell public hysteria with a media campaign scheduled to begin in the next few months.

Perhaps PEMA should coordinate with Gov. Ridge a bit more closely.

His office mailed an audio cassette to businesses and local governments around the state. It arrived in a box with a picture of a "Titanic" life preserver on it. "Don't become part of a legendary disaster. Get your computer system set for the new millennium. There are no lifeboats on this voyage!"

No, that's not alarmist at all.

-Gwen Shaffer