A thunderstorm that passed over the North Shore early Saturday morning fried the Evanston Civic Center’s phone and computer networks, causing $100,000 in damage, said Max Rubin, facilities management director.

This is the first time something like this has happened in Evanston, he said.

Lightning destroyed the entire phone system and traveled through the building’s modems to damage the computer system as well, Rubin said. Thirty percent of the Civic Center’s phone circuit cards needed replacement, as well as 40 computer network cards and two computers.

The power surge affected software programs used to track recreation registration, permits and the city’s finances, Rubin said. This information is re-saved at the end of each day, so none of it was lost. Since parking ticket and utility software programs were unaffected, residents will not feel the effects of the surge.

Because of its insurance coverage, the city will only have to pay the $25,000 deductible on the damages.

It will be a few more weeks before the full extent of the damage is apparent, said Patrick Casey, director of management and budget. Equipment that was not immediately destroyed may still deteriorate in the coming weeks, he said. Also, dealing with major technical problems may have kept staff from noticing minor ones.

“The heart was broken,” Rubin said. “Until the heart is fixed, you can’t tell if the fingers are broken.”