Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a national telephone poll to find out what Americans think will come with the beginning of the new year. They found that more than 90 percent of Americans who answered the phone expect either no problems or only minor ones.

“The few who do believe the new millennium will bring disaster are also attaching religious significance to it,” said Robert Faris, a doctoral student who helped the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at UNC-Chapel Hill conduct the poll between Sept. 22 and Nov. 17.

He said 77 percent of the people expecting a disaster also believe the Bible predicts major changes for the year 2000.

Faris said Y2K fears worry conservatives more than liberals. His survey showed at least half of “strong” conservatives are preparing for Y2K in some way, as opposed to 33 percent of liberals.

More than 43 percent of gun owners and 46 percent of Republicans are preparing, compared to 35 percent of people who don’t own guns and 38 percent of Democrats, he said.

According to the survey, non-mainline Protestants are more likely than others to find religious significance in the millennium and are also more likely to prepare for it. Non-religious conservatives also take Y2K seriously. Faris said nearly 60 percent of atheists are preparing for the Y2K bug, compared to roughly 35 percent of other Americans.

All major utilities serving Rowan County say they are ready for the year change and expect no problems beyond those that might come up during any other day.

Duke Energy will have 800 additional employees at work monitoring company operations for Y2K.

North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation will also increase staffing over the New Year weekend and activate its emergency response center.

CT Communications (CTC) and BellSouth say they are ready, too, and have contingency plans just in case of a glitch. The BellSouth Y2K Command Center will open at 6 a.m. Dec. 31. BellSouth technicians will work during the holiday period, as they do every day of the year.

In a written statement, John McKinney, director of corporate and external affairs, said anyone experiencing problems with a BellSouth phone should call the regular repair numbers in the front pages of the telephone directory. Ken Argo, CTC vice president, said his company will have a full technical and customer service staff on hand New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and the days following.

Argo and McKinney have this warning: Don’t pick up the telephone at the turn of the millennium to see if it works. If everyone does, it won’t.

Argo said heavy calling traffic at the stroke of midnight on the telephone or over the Internet could result in call delays. “We are encouraging our customers to minimize phone and Internet usage during what we believe will be a peak calling period, which will be the two hours surrounding midnight on New Year’s Eve, and again from 8 a.. through noon on Jan.1, 2000,” Argo said.

BellSouth spokesman Clifton Metcalf, compared the situation to everyone trying to leave the Charlotte Coliseum or drive on Independence Boulevard at the same time.

Bankers also are more worried about the problems people might bring on themselves than about computer bugs. Dan Williams of F&MBank said his people will close out deposits about 9 p.m, as usual and then go home. They’ll check on things again Saturday morning.

He and other bankers are urging people to leave their money in the bank.

U.S. Sen. John Edwards said in a recent statement that senior citizens, especially those who lived through the Great Depression, are the most likely to withdraw their money from banks. Edwards said Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan told him money is safer in the bank than hidden in homes or wallets where it would be a target for criminals.

Edwards also echoed other officials’ opinions that you need stock up on food and water only as much as you would for a winter storm.