Despite billions being spent to retrofit computers in business, commerce, banking and record-keeping, as Y2K approached, emergency organizations like the Red Cross urged everyone to be prepared to survive a week in the same kind of circumstance they might encounter after a hurricane!

As the final countdown to a new millennium began, America watched and waited to see if the digital dam would burst.

Would all the preparations pay off, or would we be thrown into an unfamiliar world devoid of heat, electricity, communication, refrigeration, bank accounts, fuel -- you name it?

Some residents were taking no chances -- stocking their pantries, installing wood stoves, and adding a generator.

Trends forecaster Gerald Celente predicted the equivalent of a week and a half of snow days.

He told me at the time, "Is it going to be time to buy pork and beans or beef jerky, and hide in the Adirondacks? No!"

With the State Capitol hosting its annual First night, then-Mayor Jerry Jennings declared Albany glitch-proof.

Ten thousand people took their chances at the Pepsi Arena as singer Roberta Flacke headlined a performance inside.

Hearty runners admired the fireworks show in front of the Capitol as they ran through the park.

A surprisingly quiet night at the State Emergency Command Center, where scores of state workers calmly watched night come and go around the world on TV monitors.starting in Sydney, moving to China, then Moscow, then Paris then London--the world celebrating the dawn of a new millennium without a hitch.

Then-Governor Pataki checked in with SEMO before heading out to his own Y2K party, convinced the Empire State would not falter, saying all necessary precautions had been taken, and people should just go out and celebrate.

And, despite all the alcohol being consumed, the year 2000 roared in without a hiccup -- some might say the worrying was for nothing. But try telling that to Mike Abbott as he returned his rented movie two days late at Supervideos in Colonie. He was originally told his bill was 267 dollars and 37 cents but got off easy. The store computer reset to the year 1900 and churned out a 91-thousand-dollar late fee! The good-natured manager said that's what ball point pens were for---they still worked, and they could fix it!