Oliver: It’s best to plan for worst, and be thankful when it doesn’t happen

The newsroom was a strange place to be as the year 1999 drew to a close. Perhaps you too remember the angst caused by what became known as the Y2K problem, or the Millennium Bug.

The issue at the time was that a lot of computer programs only read the last two digits of a year, so when 1999 turned to 2000, they might mistakenly read the year as 1900.

The fear was that computers would stop working, or read things wrong, creating confusion and a lot of headaches. There even were concerns that somehow the “bug” would errantly launch nuclear missiles or cause planes to fall from the sky.

Banks, transportation, nuclear plants, etc., all depend on having the correct date in their computer systems. So it really did have the potential to be catastrophic.

To address the problem, it took programmers countless hours to reprogram millions of computers.

The angst was so palpable that the cover of Time magazine even had a photo that read “The end of the world!?!”

Some of us were skeptical that anything would happen, but since we had a newspaper to put out that night, our bosses weren’t taking any chances.

There were generators in case the electrical grid went down. There were shop lights strung all around. It was all hands on deck in the event something happened.

When 2000 arrived in New Zealand and Australia, everyone gathered around the television. Imagine our surprise when it looked like any other New Year’s Eve.

This scenario played out in time zone after time zone. But as it became time for the United States to enter 2000, we all still held our breath.

Happily, nothing happened. And that’s what happened, for the most part, all around the world.

It was not unlike what happens when the weather forecasters give us dire warnings about an impending storm. We dutifully stock up on supplies, we batten down the hatches and we wait. And then the storm changes course and nothing happens.

The cynics among us curse the weather forecasters and point out how wrong they always are. The rest of us count our blessings and are grateful that we were ready just in case.

Today, a new leader is being sworn in at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., under some unprecedented circumstances.

On Jan. 6, as the Electoral College’s results were being certified by Congress, the Capitol was stormed by those who feel that the recent election was rigged. Members of Congress had to flee and hide, and offices were vandalized. Worst of all, people were killed.

So in the time since, we’ve seen many actions being taken to make sure today’s proceedings can be done safely. Barbed wire, high fences, an influx of National Guard troops, to name a few.

Windows at state capitols around the nation also are being boarded up, as they too have been identified as possible targets of more violent acts.

All of this has taken on a surreal quality. Can this really be happening in the United States? Isn’t this what happens in more unstable nations? Yet, here we are.

Like Y2K, I sincerely hope that nothing will happen except the peaceful transition of power, as has happened in all of the inauguration days that I can remember.

Perhaps then the cynics can say that all of this preparation was a waste of time and energy.

Of course, if the worst happens, we all can be grateful that every precaution had been taken.

Just as in 1999, there’s really no way to be completely sure until we get there.

• Joan Oliver is the former Northwest Herald assistant news editor. She has been associated with the Northwest Herald since 1990. She can be reached at jolivercolumn@gmail.com.