Advertiser Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - People whose homes suffered earthquake damage, especially on the Big Island, may yet receive recovery help from the federal government, a Federal Emergency Management Agency official said Wednesday.

"At this point, there has been no decision on it, other than we need to get more information to understand whether there is a requirement for it," said Bob Fenton, the regional operations chief for FEMA.

Fenton, who is part of the FEMA team assessing damage on the Big Island, said the team, working with state and local officials, hopes to complete the damage assessment on the Big Island by today or Thursday at the latest.

With that information, Gov. Linda Lingle will then be able to request that federal individual assistance be added to the disaster declaration that President Bush issued Tuesday for the damage from Sunday's 6.7 and 6.0 magnitude quakes.

That declaration only covered debris removal and some emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance under the public assistance program and hazard mitigation.