Hawaii County's Mayor Harry Kim was quoted in one report as saying that total damage was assessed at $46 million.

However, Allison Powers, executive director of the Hawaii Insurers Council said locally, the dollar figure is climbing. As of yesterday, damage estimates were hitting $100 million and still climbing. How that will translate into insurance claims is uncertain in part due to the low penetration of earthquake coverage in the state. She noted too that the major portion of the state's population is on the island of Oahu which suffered little damage.

Neal N. Nakashima, executive vice president of Aon Risk Services, Inc., of Hawaii, said many carriers are flooding the island with claims representatives apparently to make sure there are enough people to handle the job. However, it will be weeks before any claims estimates are produced, he said.

Much of the damage is not obvious and will require careful examination, said Mr. Nakashima. Repairs could even take longer as there is also a shortage of contractors on the islands, he explained.

The sense is that the earthquake will not be a major catastrophic loss, he continued. However, it will be interesting to see how insurers treat homeowner damage that occurs in the aftermath of the earthquake, he pointed out, primarily glass or water damage from leaky pipes.

The question he posed is would claims be paid outright or would exclusions be invoked by carriers who feel that the damage occurred subsequent to the earthquake, in which case the homeowners policy would not cover the loss.

He speculated that the question could produce a legal controversy similar to the on-going wind versus flood dispute in Louisiana and Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina.

The United States Geological Survey said the 6.7 magnitude quake struck the area at 7:07 a.m. local time Sunday, causing power outages and widespread damage. The quake was centered 65 miles West of Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, popularly called the Big Island.

Reports indicate the most extensive damage was to schools, homes and infrastructure on the big island, but facilities are open for business.

According to the state's Web site, its latest recovery update report said all airports were in operation, and electricity, phones, Internet and cable television service were restored state wide by Tuesday.

On the Big Island, which suffered the most severe impact, one bridge was damaged and some roadways suffered cracks and needed to be cleared of fallen rock.

There was damage to the island's Kawaihae Harbor, though commercial operations were open. Two elementary schools in the state were closed and two of the state's hospitals were damaged. Maui Memorial Hospital remained opened. Kona Community Hospital's emergency room was open, but patients were evacuated due to interior damage.

Some parks and cultural sites were closed while damage was being assessed.