8.1 Quake’s Toll Could Have Been Worse, Officials Say

Damage from one of the most powerful earthquakes of the century probably will exceed the $250 million caused by last summer’s Typhoon Omar. But things could have been much worse, government officials said today.

Mark Forbes, spokesman for Guam Gov. Joseph Ada, said Sunday’s earthquake, a magnitude 8.1 temblor, caused no deaths, only minor injuries, and left no residents homeless.

Although Civil Defense Director Joe Terlaje said damage probably will exceed that caused by Omar, Forbes said most of it was confined to businesses and government buildings.

Forbes questioned the government’s decision to fly Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to Guam from Honolulu.

Ada has no plans to request a federal disaster declaration because insurance companies and the federal Small Business Administration can cover most of the losses, Forbes said.

Dale R. Peterson, director of FEMA’s Pacific area office in Honolulu, said that the decision to send him to Guam showed the extent of the government’s commitment to the island.

“We will help the government get the infrastructure back to support the tourist industry,” he said.

Five of the island’s hotels sustained serious damage, mostly at the base of the buildings, and most likely will have to be torn down, Terlaje said.

The island’s Department of Revenue and Taxation building had “cracks you could see through,” but other government buildings were not seriously damaged, Forbes said.

By early today, electricity was restored to most areas of northern and central Guam, and water was restored to 60% of the island.

Guam Power Authority’s largest generators suffered no structural damage, although there was damage to transmission and distribution systems, according to spokesman John Guerrero.

The major damage to the water system came from breaks in five main transmission lines beneath bridges at the southern end of the island, according to Joe Mesa, chief officer of the Public Utility Agency of Guam.