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The director of the U.S. federal disaster relief agency said Friday officials may need days or weeks determine the full impact of Wednesday's earthquake in the Seattle, Washington, area.

"One of the things about earthquakes is that it's not what you know that bothers you, it's what you don't know," Joe Allbaugh, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told CNN. "It's going to take several days, maybe even weeks, to make the proper assessment."

The magnitude-6.8 quake was the strongest temblor to hit the Puget Sound area in more than 50 years. Officials attributed about 250 injuries to Wednesday's quake, but only three injuries were serious and no one was killed.

Estimates to repair the damage, however, have topped $2 billion. By comparison, however, the federal government spent more than $15 billion after California's Northridge earthquake in 1994.

Damage on two main bridges, one in Tacoma and the other in northwest Seattle, forced their closure, leaving 30,000 to 40,000 drivers to find alternate routes in each city.

"We're going to try and address those as quickly as we can," Allbaugh said.

Only eight people were still being treated Friday at Harborview Medical Center, the region's trauma hospital, spokeswoman Kristin Foley said. None of the injuries was life-threatening, she said.

No fatalities were blamed directly on the quake. King County Executive Ron Sims said a senior citizen who died of a heart attack during the earthquake had a history of heart trouble.

President Bush declared six counties in the Puget Sound region of northwest Washington state a disaster area, freeing federal aid to help state and local recovery efforts. Allbaugh, who toured three of the quake-hit counties Thursday, was expected to tour other regions Friday.

The counties covered by the disaster declaration are King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pierce and Thurston, but FEMA officials predicted others will be added as the assessment of damage continued.

Engineers and inspectors fanned out across the affected region Thursday, surveying roads, bridges and buildings, but life began to return to normal for most people.

City officials said 12 buildings had been designated as uninhabitable. The Seattle Fire Department recommended that another 10 be condemned, as well. Another 29 structures were designated with restricted occupancy.

Downtown Seattle apartment-dweller Raeann Katz said her 91-year-old building, which houses about 240 people, has been marked with yellow flags.

"There's a lot of cracks, a lot of things that fell down inside the lobby," she said.

The federal assistance released with the declaration can include disaster housing, grants, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Only about one in five Seattle homeowners availed themselves of another form of preparation, earthquake insurance coverage, said Michelle Rupp, an independent agent.

After the Northridge quake, "lots of people started buying it, and then, as time progressed, they dropped it because it's expensive," she said.

The quake originated about 30 miles (48 kilometers) below the Earth's surface, which officials said helped mitigate the damage. Officials also credited a program begun in 1990 that has spent $65 million strengthening the state's structures for just such an event.

The quake struck on the same day that President Bush put forth a budget that cuts incentives for cities to undertake such building-strengthening efforts. Washington Gov. Gary Locke, a Democrat, urged the Republican administration to rethink the cut.

"I think that it's a cut in the budget that is not wise," Locke said. "We've seen the benefits of that type of preparation and public education to both businesses, homeowners and governments, so I think we ought to keep that money because it can save lives and cut down on future losses."

Jim Mullen, director of Seattle's office of emergency management, said Friday, "That stuff works."

Mullen cited the city's retrofitting as a major benefit, and the program needs to continue, he said. But he added, "The one we're really preparing for didn't happen. We're not deluding ourselves that we don't have more to do."

The state Capitol, the governor's mansion and nearby government buildings in Olympia sustained structural damage. Some Seattle landmarks, including the opera house and Starbucks headquarters, were also scarred by the quake.

The quake's aftermath witnessed a birth of new business activity: The Seattle Times reported Friday that "I Survived the Seattle Earthquake" T-shirts, as well as rubble from Starbucks headquarters and other businesses, were being sold on the Web.

Most government offices are expected to reopen Monday. The state Legislature is looking for a place to meet because the Capitol is likely to be closed for several more days until a damage assessment is complete.

Delays and cancellations were common at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which was operating on a restricted basis because of damage to the control tower.

Air traffic controllers were moved to temporary quarters in a trailer. Spokesman Bob Parker said the airport was running at roughly half of its capacity, and a temporary control tower limited the arrival rate to 24 flights per hour: The average for the airport is 47 flights hourly.

As a result of runway damage at King County International Airport, flights were limited to smaller aircraft there. The airport handles freight traffic and is not expected to return to normal operation for three to five weeks.

"We're slowly getting some things back to normal," Mullen said. "We let a lot of people get some sleep last night."

Correspondents Rusty Dornin and Tony Clark contributed to this report.