KAPA'AU, North Kohala, Hawai'i — Ed Boteilho, his water connection disrupted by the earthquakes, fears he only has four days of water left for 1,500 cattle at his dairy farm in 'Upolu.

"It's a timeclock thing for me to keep my dairy going," he said.

Robert Halbritter, who makes glow-in-the-dark bubbles for parties, said family and friends with a jack helped stabilize his two-story house in Kapa'au after it rocked off its foundation. County building inspectors have given the house a yellow restricted tag but he has chosen to stay while trying to fix the damage.

"Maybe we're bending the rules by staying, I don't know," he said.

Boteilho, Halbritter and others described their experiences and concerns yesterday at a community meeting with Gov. Linda Lingle and several Cabinet members, who came to get an account of the earthquakes' aftermath.

Lingle, flying on a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, viewed landslides near Kealakekua Bay and damage to water tanks near Kawaihae Harbor before touching down here and touring Kohala Elementary School, which had been closed earlier this week because of buildings that were cracked.

But Lingle may have learned the most from a frank meeting at the social hall next to the crumbling Kalahikiola Congregational Church in Kapa'au.

PROUD COMMUNITY

People here are intensely proud of how they have come together and taken care of themselves since the quakes. Contractors cleared roads on their own without waiting for county or state help. Carpenters and plumbers volunteered to do home repairs. Neighbors have taken the initiative to check up on the sick and the elderly.

But some have also felt isolated and slightly overlooked, wondering whether county and state officials appreciate the extent of the damage. There is also some suspicion about what might happen if they do ask for help.

"What do we have to do to document that we did have damage?" Boteilho asked.

State and federal officials advised people to save any receipts for clean-up costs and take photographs or video of quake damage in the event the federal government expands the disaster declaration and agrees to help pay for homeowner and business expenses.

AFRAID TO REPORT

"A lot of people are afraid to report it because they think they're going to get their houses shut down," Kobayashi said.

Hearing their concerns, Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the adjutant general and head of the state Civil Defense, promised to send six Humvees with two Hawai'i National Guard soldiers each by this morning to aid residents, drawing applause.

Kobayashi said after the meeting that he is doubtful about getting much help from the federal government and is working on forming a community collection. He said he was satisfied by the response from Lee and the Lingle administration yesterday.

"At least I can pass along a glimmer of hope to some of these seniors on fixed incomes," he said.

Halbritter said the cooperation between neighbors has been overwhelming.

"In a way, we were waiting for the government. We we're waiting for the Red Cross," he said. "And it came to where we can't wait, and we all have to help each other."

Lingle, who later flew to Hilo for a briefing with Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, said she wanted to come here and listen to people herself rather than relying only on official damage reports. She said people responded similarly when she attended a community meeting on Kaua'i after the Kaloko dam failure in March.

"You can tell they're not looking to blame anybody," Lingle said of residents. "They just want answers. And they want help. And they have a right to both of those things, and we're going to work hard to get them both."

SENSE OF HUMOR

While many people are drained, they have not lost their sense of humor.

Lee told them that one of the luxuries of leading the National Guard in the Islands in emergencies is that they do not have to worry about carrying guns when going into damaged neighborhoods, compared to some of the looting and violence after disasters on the Mainland.

"Carry a fork!" one man yelled out, knowing that people here likely would be offering soldiers homemade food.