Hancock County computers back online

BAY ST. LOUIS -- The computer system at the Hancock County Government Annex is back in service after spending two weeks out of commission after a lightning strike.

Tax Assessor Jimmie Ladner said technicians worked over the weekend to install a temporary patch on the main server.

The county's main server has been down since Nov. 9, keeping every office at the Hancock County Government Annex from processing any kind of tag, license or tax. It suffered a power surge from a lightning storm that swept through the weekend before Veterans Day.

As of Monday afternoon, the computers were in full service and able to process regular business.

On Nov. 17, the Board of Supervisors ordered a new computer system at a cost of $43,000. However, with an expected installation date after the Thanksgiving holidays, the county spent nearly $8,000 on temporary fixes, all of which failed until Monday's patch.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Hancock County computers back online ."