Y2K bugs
might be least of
millennium worries

By Christine Donnelly
Star-Bulletin

For months, Hawaii residents have been told what to do to prepare for the so-called Y2K computer bug.

But with calamitous computer-related failures increasingly unlikely, now is a good time to remember that there's a list of don'ts along with the dos.

Here's a few reminders of what not to do as the new century dawns:

Don't go overboard with firecrackers, and resist the urge to fill the sky with illegal aerial fireworks.

The risk of fires and injuries has law enforcement authorities dreading this New Year's Eve. Asthmatics and others with respiratory distress also will bless those who celebrate judiciously.

Don't fall for Y2K scams. For examples, some con artists get personal financial information by posing as bank officials conducting Y2K tests.

Others tout overpriced goods and services they claim are "Y2K guaranteed." The bottom line: Don't give financial data to anyone you don't know. If the caller seems suspect, simply hang up the phone.

Don't stockpile gasoline. Fill your car's gas tank several days before the year's end and leave it at that.

Going back every day to top off the tank will just add to long lines at gas stations. And don't store big containers of gasoline at home. That's an invitation to fiery disaster.

Don't start filling your bathtubs with "emergency" water at 11 p.m. on New Year's Eve. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply says that kind of surge in demand could cause the very trouble people are trying to avoid.

Don't pick up the phone at midnight to spread New Year's cheer or to confirm the line is working. Regardless of the Y2K bug, there's a limit to how many receivers can get a dial tone at any given time, according to GTE Hawaiian Tel.

Don't wait until the final hours of 1999 to get cash at the automated teller machine for the long holiday weekend. If everyone waits to the last minute, the machines will run dry. But don't keep very large amounts of cash in your home, making it vulnerable to thieves.

Don't wait until the day of the party to buy food and beverages for your New Year's Eve bashes. Markets are expected to be busy Dec. 31.

You can avoid long lines at the checkout stand by shopping a few days in advance.