HONOLULU -- Gov. Linda Lingle issued a disaster declaration for the state after a quake measuring about 6.7 struck the Big Island on Sunday.

The bulk of the damage struck the Big Island's Kona coast.

The quake hit at 7:07 a.m. off the Waikoloa coast on the Big Island, according to scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

Three roads remained closed on Monday as teams began clearing debris. Police redirected traffic from Akonepule Highway onto Kohala Ranch Road because Kawaihae Bridge was closed. Officials also closed part of Mountainview Road and Hamakua Road at the 35-mile marker.

Hawaii County Civil Defense announced on Monday that it will dispatch teams to survey residents' homes for structural damage. They urged residents to call 935-0031 on the Big Island. Teams will evaluate whether the homes are safe to remain in and help to survey the total damage on the Big Island.

There were still problems at Kona International Airport on Sunday night as many people rescheduled their flights.

Some people waited for more than eight hours to get a flight off the Big Island.

Road crews scrambled to clear boulders from Queen Kaahumanu Highway and Mamalahoa Highway.

Some Kohala coast hotels took a hard hit, officials said. At the Maunakea Hotel, workers said it is a miracle no one was injured when part of the building collapsed.

"It started shaking very strong and the co-workers right near me and I pulled her into the doorway because we just stood there and it was shaking violently. A co-worker behind me was screaming, 'Steve, where are you?' Because she was in the dark and it was shaking very violently," Maunakea Hotel chef Steve Taylor said.

Hotel guests said that TVs fell to the floor along with the contents of their mini-bars and refrigerators.

"It started to rock and roll, lights flickered and went off and my wife was screaming, but the hotels responded very well," California resident Ned Quackenbush said.

Lingle was on the Big Island on Sunday when the earthquake struck. She was staying at the Mauna Lani Hotel.

"The jolt itself was intense. It threw everything in the hotel room around the room -- the television, lamps, everything. I thought that was it, then a second jolt, not equal, was very intense. It sent the television, everything flying. That time we evacuated to the Kona police station," Lingle said.

She took a tour of some of the damage before returning to Honolulu.

At Kona Community Hospital, one operating room was severely damaged. There were no surgeries scheduled.

"The damage was mostly ceiling tiles coming down bookshelves falling over things falling off the walls, that kind of thing. But, the structural integrity of the building is good," Kona Community Hospital Chief Executive Officer Donald Lewis said.

Teams evacuated 30 nursing home patients to the Sheraton Keauhou. Six patients were discharged and six others were flown to Hilo by a Coast Guard helicopter.

About 10 people were admitted to the Kona emergency room with earthquake related injuries, none was life-threatening, officials said. Most of the cases involved lacerations from falling or broken glass and at least one person suffered a broken arm.

Teams helped evacuate patients from the Kona Community Hospital to a shelter set up at the Keauhou Sheraton Hotel.

The Red Cross also opened shelters at Yano Hall, the Old Kona Airport and Waimea Community Center.

The Red Cross set up a hotline for those whose homes were damaged or for those who could not reach their families at (808) 377-5053.

Officials dispatched staff and volunteers into neighborhoods to assess damage and help families with support.

Power was knocked out to several areas, but power was restored to most areas by midday.

A scientist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said he believed this was the largest earthquake in Hawaii since 1983.