CITY, BUSINESS REPS AND OTHERS TELL MEETING Y2K WON'T BE A PROBLEM

Money won't disappear from your bank accounts, telephones will still have dial tones and electricity will generate power when the clock strikes midnight New Year's Eve 1999.

Officials from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Southwestern Bell, AmerenUE and the city said there isn't going to be anything scary about Y2K, particularly if people are properly prepared.

About 25 people -- mostly city staff -- attended a public meeting at the Osage Community Centre on Y2K just to be sure all their questions were answered. The meeting was sponsored by the city's Project Impact. An event like Y2K, where the "disaster" is known in advance, is a perfect opportunity to get prepared for any sort of disaster from a power outage to an earthquake, said Mary Burton, executive director of the American Red Cross chapter in Cape Girardeau.

Residents who were at the meeting said they were fairly confident their preparations were adequate. But you should always have more on hand for neighbors and elderly people who might not be prepared, said Michael Busby, who works for a company that has been addressing the Y2K computer bug for area businesses and banks. "I wanted to find out where we are sitting and what the plans were," Busby said. "I feel like I'm more than ready."But Busby still has concerns about institutions and businesses that aren't yet Y2K compliant. "It's still questionable because it could generate more problems," he said.

Most banking and financial institutions should be prepared for Y2K, said Deanna Caldwell of the FDIC in Kansas City."The usual payment methods cash, checks, ATM and debit cards will work," she said. People shouldn't have to store cash in their homes as a precaution since that could create more problems with theft, she said. Telephones will continue to work, so people shouldn't have to worry about making calls. However, Southwestern Bell is asking people not to pick up the receiver just to see if there is a dial tone. "It puts a very large demand on our system, and while it could be slow it wouldn't be because of Y2K," said Donna Burke of Southwestern Bell. Most telecommunications companies say the volume of calls expected Jan. 1 would be similar to what the system experiences on Mother's Day, the busiest calling day of the year. Southwestern Bell has spent $250 million preparing for Y2K. But the problems might not end in January: For date-sensitive equipment, Feb. 28 and 29 are also problematic because 2000 is a leap year.

Southwestern Bell has been studying its Y2K upgrades and making changes for four years. While AmerenUE hasn't spent as much money or time in addressing Y2K, it is ready to handle the new millennium, said Doug Groesbeck, manager for the southeast district. The company has been addressing the problem since August 1997."We've taken a very comprehensive and aggressive approach because all utilities and the nature of our service is essential and vital," he said.