Big Island officials are disappointed that a disaster declaration issued by President Bush yesterday does not yet allow for federal aid to repair homes, businesses, schools and roads following Sunday's earthquakes.

"People are just going to hear 'presidential declaration' and people are going to think the help is here," Big Island Mayor Harry Kim said. "It is a disappointment for me."

Kim called Bush's declaration "very limited, because this does not include financial assistance for repairs within the private sector. ... Apparently they're going to wait until they come here in the field and talk to us and investigate some of these (damage assessments)."

As the Big Island's estimated repair costs climbed to almost $74 million from Sunday's 6.7 and 6.0 magnitude quakes, Bush issued a declaration yesterday that Gov. Linda Lingle's office said provides assistance for debris removal and certain emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance under the public assistance program and hazard mitigation.

Kim said Big Island officials will continue to gather information to make a case for a more sweeping federal declaration. He plans to have a complete report filed today with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an expansion of the disaster declaration.

"It's my impatience," Kim said, "and I realize it's only two days after and normally speaking it takes four or five or six days."

On the Kona side of the Big Island, state Department of Transportation officials partially reopened the Big Island's busiest cargo port late yesterday.

Two Kona-bound barges were diverted to Hilo after huge cracks opened up along Kawaihae Harbor, which handles 60 percent of the Big Island's cargo.

Divers and engineers at about 4:45 p.m. determined that Kawaihae Harbor's Pier 2B was structurally sound and a Young Bros. barge that had been waiting offshore for much of the day was allowed to off-load its cargo last night.

State officials have not conducted an economic analysis of the cost of temporarily closing at least part of Kawaihae Harbor. But Pearl Imada Iboshi, chief economist for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, called it "a serious problem."

Sunday's earthquakes had divers and engineers looking for damage to Piers 2A and 2B, which are used for general cargo, and Pier 1, which is primarily used by Hawaiian Cement.

One huge crack runs nearly the length of Pier 2A's 477 feet. At one point near the harbor's warehouse at Pier 2A, the crack is 13 to 15 inches wide.

The warehouse also suffered structural damage.

Elton Suganuma, a marine cargo specialist with the state Department of Transportation, looked at the damage around Pier 2A yesterday and said, "I wouldn't be surprised if they condemn it."

HARBOR DAMAGE

At Pier 1, the 1,500-foot long concrete apron has separated and dropped between 4 and 8 inches, said Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

Engineers will need at least another day to decide the future of Pier 1 and Pier 2A, Ishikawa said. Repair crews may be able to use metal plates to cover some of the cracks and allow trucks to drive onto the pier to remove and deliver cargo, Ishikawa said.

Midpac Petroleum's fuel lines at the harbor were also damaged and had to be drained, said Rod Haraga, state transportation director. Midpac is the only fuel company that uses Kawaihae Harbor, Ishikawa said.

Other companies, such as Tesoro and Chevron, deliver Big Island fuel to Hilo and truck it over to the Kona side, Ishikawa said.

The vast majority of the Big Island's earthquake repair bill so far — $43 million — is aimed at Big Island schools that suffered cracks in concrete walls, broken windows, fallen ceiling tiles and buildings that had shifted off their foundations.

For Big Island businesses, new estimates yesterday tallied their damage at $11.7 million.

Some 41 businesses reported major damage and 259 had minor damage.

The official cost of repairs for Big Island homes remained at less than $1 million. But county officials are prepared for much higher costs because inspection crews have not had time to transmit their findings back to Civil Defense headquarters in Hilo.

Teams of inspectors from county, state and federal agencies, including FEMA, continued to fan out across the Big Island to survey damage yesterday.

The Honolulu District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also deployed a nine-man structural assistance team to provide technical assistance. A team of engineers from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa inspected bridges, port facilities and dams.

In the North Kohala region, heavy rain revealed damage yesterday to more than 100 homes that were believed to have been spared from Sunday's earthquakes, said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, director of state Civil Defense.

The governor recounted a conversation she had with a woman who said her mother's house in Waimea had leaked during the rain.

"She thought her home was OK," Lingle said, "but things had shifted in the house and the roof was off kilter."

MORE DAMAGE TO TALLY

Lingle expects to hear similar stories in the coming days.

"I think we're going to continue to see damage that we didn't see immediately," she said. "My feelings go out to the people on the Big Island."

Some 100 customers in the Puna areas of Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaiian Beaches subdivision, Hawaiian Acres subdivision, Keaau Ag Lots and Kurtistown remained without power last night, according to Hawaii Electric Light Co.

Near Honoka'a, only one lane of Route 19 near mile marker No. 35 was reopened; one lane of Route 270 near mile marker 5 was opened for contra-flow. And Route 270 near mile marker No. 26 leading to Pololu Valley had only one lane open because of rock slides and cracks in the road.

Aftershocks and even new, small quakes on the Hilo side continued to rattle the Big Island yesterday.

The largest aftershock had a magnitude of 4.0 and set off a warning bell at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in 'Ewa Beach.

"It suggests the aftershocks aren't over," said Jim Kauaihikaua, scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. "We're keeping an eye on it but they're getting more infrequent and will just continue to peter out."

Life was otherwise back to normal yesterday on O'ahu, which lost power longer than any other island.

State transportation inspectors reviewed all of the nearly 400 state bridges on O'ahu and declared them safe, Ishikawa said.

Honolulu Board of Water Supply officials said service was fully restored and thanked customers for heeding their call to conserve water on a system that relies on electricity to recharge its reservoirs.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you for everyone's conservation efforts," spokeswoman Su Shin said. "It really made a difference. We asked for conservation, and people conserved."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com and Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.