FEMA Approves Quake Help for Hawaii

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim speaks to a reporter inside his office, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006, in Hilo on the island of Hawaii. The earthquake that rattled Hawaii last weekend was a sharp reminder of the vulnerability and isolation of this island state, a volcanic hotbed separated from the rest of the world by thousands of miles of open ocean.The 6.7-magnitude temblor on Oct. 15 caused relatively little damage and no fatalities. Yet it left those living in the shadows of two of the world's most active volcanoes to marvel at how lucky they were _ and how bad things could have been. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) (Mark J. Terrill - AP)

HONOLULU -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved relief and recovery assistance for Hawaii residents who were victims of last week's magnitude 6.7 earthquake, Gov. Linda Lingle said Monday.

The aid may include grants for temporary housing, home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses, Lingle said in a news release. Also, low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration will be available to cover residential and business losses not fully compensated by insurance.

"While no amount of assistance can cover the loss of personal sentimental items, the announcement by FEMA today will help bring some peace of mind to many residents," Lingle said.

The Oct. 15 earthquake was the strongest to hit the islands in more than two decades. No deaths or serious injuries were reported, but preliminary damage estimates were as high as $46 million. The quake struck near Hawaii's Big Island, a 4,000-plus-square-mile isle with a population of 167,000.

Also Monday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the government plans to increase to 15 the number of advanced earthquake monitors in the Hawaiian islands. There are currently only three.

Officials hope to install the new monitors in 18 months.

Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist at the center, said plans to increase the number of monitors have been in the works since a magnitude 9.1 quake struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island in 2004 and triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000.