None of the plants surveyed were in Louisiana. Colonial transports 80 million gallons of refined petroleum products daily, including through lines in Louisiana and the Baton Rouge area. Production processes are designed for constant heat, flow and pressure. You don't just shut it off a unit like a bedroom light. There are risks associated.
Banks say they are prepared, as well.
Linda Kilgo, the Y2K program manager for Union Planters Bank in Memphis, Tenn., said her company has benefited in its ability to get through Y2K from being one of the largest acquirers of banks in the country. It completed 13 acquisitions in 1998 alone, Kilgo said. Every time the company buys a bank, it converts it to corporate computer systems within 120 days of the date of acquisition, taking care of year 2000 issues as it goes. The same thing went for new personal computers the banking company purchased, she said. That figure is well below industry estimates, she said.