You Won't Believe What Happened At Valley Crest

173-year-old Joepa Psyched For 22nd Century

By JOHN DECKER Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, December 29, 1999 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





SCRANTON - As the Y2K bug creeps closer, the Pennsylvania National Guard
announced Tuesday that all units are prepared to battle any problems the bug's
bite might cause. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As a precautionary measure, the Guard met on Tuesday with numerous county
emergency management directors to ensure they know the proper procedure in the
event of a crisis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Though no official can say with any degree of certainty what will happen
at midnight Friday, Col. Richard Matason, the Guard's plans, operations and
military support officer, said units have been training for a ``worst-case
scenario'' since last December. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But despite hundreds of hours of training, Matason looks forward to the bug
being a dud. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We're hoping this is the biggest non-event in history,'' he said after a
briefing at the 55th Brigade Headquarters, Watres Armory. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Y2K concern is a potential computer defect that might cause items
operated by computer chips to malfunction or shut down when the calendar turns
to 01/01/00. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Al Bardar, acting director of the Luzerne County Emergency Management
Agency, said counties are not permitted to contact the Guard directly and must
first contact the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to receive National
Guard support. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county's EMA building and most of the 76 municipalities will be staffed
with emergency crews from Friday night into Saturday. The American Red Cross
also will be available, Bardar said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Matason said the Guard's Y2K strategy was designed for units to deal with
several disasters happening simultaneously. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During an August training mission at Fort Indiantown Gap, more than 500
soldiers endured 28 continuous hours of exercises, which included crews
dealing with mock disasters as a plane crash, winter storm, and an oil spill
in a river.

National Guard Offering Counties Y2k Aid 
Pennsylvania's Military Leaders Sit Down With County Officials To Plan A
Response For Any Possible Emergencies.

National Guard Offering Counties Y2k Aid Pennsylvania's Military Leaders Sit Down With County Officials To Plan A Response For Any Possible Emergencies.