Devastated Kauai Braces for More Rain : Disaster: Residents scurry to protect what is left as flash flood watches are issued in wake of hurricane. Electricity is still out and phone service on the island is limited.

Residents of Kauai braced for another storm Wednesday as a flash flood watch was posted for much of Hawaii. The warning of new tropical rain came as people on this storm-damaged island scrambled to cover their heavily damaged homes with a limited supply of plastic sheeting that military and civilian crews were airlifting from Honolulu.

“It seems like we’re being asked to handle a lot,” said Lihue Mayor JoAnn Yukimura. “But we’re going to ask (residents) to take some more precautions.”

The forecast of rain came on a day when more federal aid was promised in the wake of Hurricane Iniki and only cautious assessments were made about the prospect of restored telephone and electrical service. There were these developments:

* President Bush ordered the government to pay 100% of the eligible disaster relief costs in Hawaii. He previously had extended the same generosity to Florida and Louisiana after Hurricane Andrew. Normally, the federal government requires state and local governments to pick up 25% of such costs.

* Officials announced that the exodus of tourists from the island was complete. Passengers had waited in lines at the airport here for more than five hours Monday. By Wednesday, the lines had disappeared and by afternoon some flights were leaving with empty seats. Many island banks were open for business and were allowing customers to make withdrawals. Some people had begun running out of cash, since most banks had not been open since Iniki struck Friday.

* Federal Emergency Management Agency officials were rushing to open five disaster relief centers on the island. Bill Sanders, a FEMA spokesman, said the centers will advise residents on a variety of recovery and rebuilding questions.

* Homes were still without electricity. Denny Polosky, an executive with Kauai Electric, said some power could be restored by next week in the more populous areas, but homes in remote places could be without electricity for six months or longer.

* Nerves were beginning to fray. Reports emerged of fights in gasoline lines and of homes being looted. A generator and a shipment of medical supplies were reported stolen. The Red Cross said 8,000 people were still in shelters on Kauai, but the number was dropping daily. Water service had been reconnected to 70% of the island.

* Officials here said they expected visits soon from two prominent outsiders. Elizabeth Dole, president of the American Red Cross and a former member of President Ronald Reagan’s Cabinet, is scheduled to arrive here today and Marilyn Quayle, wife of the vice president, is expected later in the week, officials said.

On another front, the enormous task of rebuilding Kauai’s telephone system continued Wednesday with no indication of when full service would be restored.

GTE Hawaiian Telephone has set up emergency phone banks in the county capital of Lihue and the nearby town of Kapaa, allowing some Kauai residents to call the rest of the world. But with only a few lines available, callers must wait for hours.

“The big crunch right now is getting word on and off the island,” said Mark Doyle, spokesman for Hawaiian Telephone. “Those are the only two places you can call into and out of.”

The company shipped 170 phones to the island overnight to add to the 12 at the emergency banks Wednesday. Hawaiian Telephone and long-distance companies are waiving charges for calls from the emergency phone banks.

The telephone situation on Kauai varies by area. In addition to the phone banks, some communities have local service, which allows people to call their neighbors but not to place calls between telephone exchanges. Main trunk lines are down except between Kapaa and Lihue.

Newton reported from Lihue and Essoyan from Honolulu. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.