When Augusta city employees reported to work Wednesday, many found their computer systems down and no telephone service. It may be several more hours before the service is restored.
According to Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, the city Information Technology Department was testing a fire suppression system in the city’s data center Tuesday, when an equipment failure occurred, causing a chain reaction.
“We do not have the replacement equipment here, so a tech has been sent from Atlanta to remedy the the problem,” Johnson said.
Lynn Gladney, motor vehicle registration director for the Tax Commissioner’s Office, posted on her private Facebook account that customers should wait before trying to pay bills online or calling in with questions or issues.
“Our IT department is working hard to address the problem, and we will update you when we are back online. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to serving you!” Gladney wrote on social media.
The system failure has not affected the Sheriff’s Office, and it appears that 911 operations are functioning, but it has slowed things to a crawl for Superior Court and other courts located at The Augusta Judicial Center and John H. Ruffin Jr. Courthouse.
“Our productivity has been reduced to a fraction,” Chief Superior Court Judge Daniel Craig said.
E911 Director Daniel Dunlap said 911 uses a different network and its lines have not been affected.
“We have stayed operational, answering calls and dispatching calls,” Dunlap said.
Augusta Fire Department radios remained operational, but computer-aided dispatch was interrupted, so units had to be dispatched manually, a spokesperson said.
(Update: According to Mayor Johnson, most phone lines have been restored and are operational)
Susan McCord and Scott Hudson contributed to this story.
