HONOLULU -- Gov. Linda Lingle has signed an emergency proclamation for Oahu, Maui and Kauai after widespread flooding from a storm that passed through the islands this week.

"The great news is nobody has been seriously hurt throughout this," Lingle said.

The city also declared an emergency for Windward Oahu.

State Civil Defense and transportation officials with who appeared with the governor on Friday said the emergency declaration means they will be able to tap into state resources faster.

"We've got a lot of tools at our disposal, but essentially we want to help people," Civil Defense vice director Ed Teixeira said.

Civil Defense plans to take a helicopter reconnaissance flight on Saturday to get a more complete picture of the extent of damage along secondary roads in hard to reach places.

"Our greatest concern is how many flooded homes are there along the north shore," Teixeira said.

The emergency declaration opens up the state's Disaster Relief Fund and spurs other financial help, including state tax relief and the services of Hawaii's Air and Army National Guard. The guard to be deployed if needed to clean up debris.

Transportation Chief Rod Haraga said the emergency declaration allows him to hire private contractors to supplement efforts of state road repair crews.

With all this to contend with, the state is still concerned because more heavy rain is predicted to begin arriving on Wednesday.