Intelligence was incapable of predicting exactly when, where, how, and how many systems would feel the ramifications of Y2K. The backlash from the event could result in a global catastrophe due to machines possessing the ability to communicate with one another. For example, a computer dating-issue taking place in Australia could lead to technological complications in Pakistan, Madagascar, and Brazil in a short matter of time. In an attempt to alleviate the danger of Y2K, the worldwide cost estimate was $300 billion, with $84 billion of that coming from the United States Government …show more content…
No amount of intelligence could adequately predict just how far spread and how detrimental the computer crash would be worldwide, leading members of society to prepare for the worst. According to Schweiss, the media played a major role in creating the scared feeling the plagued the nation; “quite a bit of information was released to the public, which was a good thing and a bad thing. The news media was talking about it constantly, which only contributed to the panic and the fear.” As doomsday approached people and communities began stocking up supplies, preparing for an extended period with no technology to begin 2000. Fanatics created survival guides for the crash, as “preparing for the worst doesn’t mean you believe it will happen, it only means that you accept that the possibility exists.” According to the Y2K Family Survival Guide, the necessary proponents to surviving the end of the millennium included: four weeks of water and food for every member of the family stored in a dark, cool location, large amounts of toilet water for flushing, baby wipes for hygiene, kerosene heaters and rolled newspaper logs for fires, first aid kits, handy tools, extra cash, and copies of all financial records. The majority of Americans did not go to such extremes as laid out in this work