MICHAEL DARDEN / WEST HAWAII TODAY
A vehicle avoided a boulder in the Big Island's Kohala district Oct. 15 after the 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck.
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County's quake cost runs to $17 million
Last month's temblor on the Big Island also damaged sites at UH
Hawaii County has tallied more than $17 million in damage from the Oct. 15 earthquakes while the University of Hawaii announced $2.5 million in earthquake-related damage yesterday.
Most of the UH's damage is on its flagship campus in Manoa, far from the Big Island epicenters of the Kiholo Bay and Hawi earthquakes.
The Big Island costs listed yesterday by the Department of Public Works were for public properties, and include:
» Water lines, wells, tanks and reservoirs, $10.3 million.
» Roads, $3 million.
» Parks and recreation facilities, $2.9 million.
» Buildings, $295,500.
» Bridges, $180,000.
» Traffic signals and streetlights, $10,400.
It will cost an estimated $1 million to reinforce slopes of Hawaii Department of Water Supply reservoirs above the town of Waimea, said Lanny Nakano, Hawaii County assistant Civil Defense administrator.
Without offering cost estimates, Hawaii County also reported that its Public Works Department has conducted 1,679 structural inspections and found:
» 1,388 buildings in "green tag" condition, with cosmetic damage.
» 227 buildings in "yellow tag" condition, with some restrictions on use.
» 67 "red tag" structures, "meaning these buildings were considered unsafe for occupancy or use" and requiring $50,000 or more to be rehabilitated.
» Ten homes were destroyed.
Of structures that can't be saved, two homes -- including one that burned -- and a barn have been demolished, said Noelani Whittington, county Public Works community outreach worker.
County officials expected to hold a news conference in Hilo this morning to announce the new totals.
Hawaii County said in a news release that its disaster assessment efforts included:
» Providing a telephone hot line to request building inspections.
» Waiving building permits and fees, allowing repairs to begin immediately.
» Providing a list of structural engineers and architects available to residents.
Based on post-earthquake building inspections, structural engineers recommend that residents:
» Connect posts and braces to foundations.
» Avoid "tofu block" foundations.
» Add shear walls to structures.
Most earthquake-related problems listed by the UH yesterday with price tags of $100,000 or more were for Manoa campus structures, except as noted:
» A sprung door and leaking shutter above a telescope mirror at the Pan-STARRS telescope on Maui, $100,000.
» Entry room ceiling damage at Sinclair Library, $500,000.
» Cracks in the G and A towers of the Shidler College of Business, $500,000.
» Chiller problems at the law school, $150,000.
» Cracks and possible structural problems at George Hall, $250,000.
» Cracks in interior and exterior walls in the architecture building, $600,000.