"Tribal community plans a village that’s ‘as resilient as possible’"
"TAHOLAH, QUINAULT INDIAN NATION – A little more than a century ago the village of Taholah was built where the ocean meets the Quinault River. Today when there’s too much rain, or a storm surge, water will rush past Quinault Street, down 2nd, 3rd all the way across town, filling yards and homes with salt water.
Ryan Hendricks points to the sea wall and remembers one such flood. “It's almost like a geyser shooting through the rocks,” said Hendricks, a member of the Quinault Indian Nation’s Tribal Council. “The water was coming in from the river and just coming directly into the village. And then over here … the water wasn't coming really over the wall. It was just coming through the rocks like a geyser. So it was just pushing almost with the speed of like a natural river current.”
The Quinault Nation faces dangerous long-term currents. Taholah barely inches above the ocean and the sea-level is rising. On top of that there are a growing number of storm surges, where flood waters are propelled by high winds."
Mark Trahant and Stewart Huntington report for ICT May 6, 2024.
Advertisement 
