Y2K: US gets serious on bug

The US State Department told lawmakers it may issue travel warnings and draw up evacuation plans for Americans living abroad should the year 2000 computer bug cause widespread problems.

It said many other countries were nowhere near ready for the change to the year 2000.

The CIA also warned the committee some Soviet-designed nuclear power plants were vulnerable to computer crashes and the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom could experience Y2K outages that could cut off supplies to former Soviet Republics mid-winter.

To reduce the risk of an accidental missile launch next January 1, the State Department said the US wanted to bring together US and Russian military experts to witness the millennium change from monitoring stations within the United States.