Human behavior, however, is another question all together. If the public does some serious eleventh-hour hoarding, supplies of food and other staples could be squeezed. Conn. Drug companies are bracing for a surge in orders for medicine. Many suppliers have already sold out of emergency equipment such as electric generators.
Banks expecting a last-minute run on ATMs have extra cash on hand.
On the technical side, though, the consensus is that serious Y2K problems are more likely to occur in other countries. Domestically, the main glitches are expected in small towns and rural communities, and among small businesses. And all report substantial efforts to assure that the clock's advancement into a new century is remarkable only for the festivities it brings. Millions of lines of code were rewritten, and programs updated, in state computers critical to public safety and welfare, Hall said. As a result, no one is expected to be prematurely dumped off the welfare rolls, government checks will go out on time and computer databases that are critical to law enforcement will continue to work.