With the Millennium Bug's sting only a year away, businesses and governments haven't completed the expensive task of fixing computer systems nationwide, and experts can't rule out major disruptions from the software glitch. Unless the errors are fixed before the year 2000, the so-called Y2K bug threatens to send computer systems around the globe into a state of paralyzing confusion. Horror stories abound. Some activists fear that elevators will trap riders, electricity and water won't flow to homes, mass transportation systems will be halted and airplane pilots will be unable to communicate with air traffic controllers. Some people are hoarding food, water and medicine out of fear that the basic machinery of society will break down.
Most experts say that such scenarios are wildly exaggerated.
But there are likely to be some disruptions in the United States. In fact, Americans might see Y2K ripples much sooner than midnight on Dec. 31, 1999. For example, because unemployment insurance benefits are typically calculated a year in advance, the Labor Department estimates that some state systems will fail when new claims are filed Jan. 4. So some states may not be able to process unemployment claims, or they may cut checks for the wrong amount. We're going to be dealing with this well into 2001.