Florida couples don’t have to worry about getting to church on time because a “potential cyber incident” has halted access to vital records.
The Florida Department of Health’s online verification system was affected by what was described as a “potential cyber incident.” Fox 25 Orlando reportedcausing a temporary shutdown of the vital statistics system.
The system stores birth, marriage and death certificates.
Terry Wright, owner of Wright & Young Funeral Home, told The Washington Post that he has been forced to go back to “the old way of doing death certificates” – the analog way.
“It’s slowing down the process.”
Still, Miami funeral homes aren’t backing up with bodies, he says, because there’s a workaround: getting doctor’s consent to burial or interment before the final death certificate is in. That’s not the case with cremations, but crematorium freezers aren’t overcrowded, at least for now, he says.
But some families are struggling because they can’t get insurance refunds or access to pensions and other financial accounts, Wright said.
“Nobody wants to proceed with finalizing their rights or dealing with their estate without a final death certificate,” he said.
Wright said the demographic issues began on June 27 and that the system was still down as of Saturday afternoon.
“As per normal practice, the health department is working with law enforcement and all involved parties,” the health department told Fox 35.
“Once a comprehensive assessment of the situation has been completed, affected parties will be notified.”
