Utilities on alert for problems with 9-9-99

Utility companies across the United States are on alert tonight for possibleproblems as the calendar turns to the ninth of September. That’s 9-9-99 whenexpressed numerically, and some computer programmers have used it as a”stop” code. MidAmerican Energy spokesman Mark Renders says this is a goodpre-Y-2-K drill to see how computers react to the date.Computers may have trouble reading the 9-9-99 date as well as the 2000 atmidnight December 31st. While electric companies will have crews waitingtonight and into tomorrow morning, Renders doesn’t think there will be anytrouble.MidAmerican is participating in the drill along with other Iowa electriccompanies and the North American Electric Reliability Council.