Pelicans fly near the shore as waves from the Pacific Ocean roll in Tuesday, May 14, 2024, on the Quinault reservation in Taholah, Wash. The Quinault Indian Nation in Washington state has spent at least a decade working to relocate hundreds of people whose homes are threatened by a rising Pacific Ocean. Their largest village, Taholah, has seen increased flooding But progress has been slow and the total tally could be more than $400 million.
Mold creeps up the side of the wall behind the washing machine at the Curley household Wednesday, May 22, 2024, on the Quinault reservation in Taholah, Wash. Sonny Curley displays his forearm tattoos of Chitwins, or black bears, at the home he shares with his children and parents, Wednesday, May 22, 2024, on the Quinault reservation in Taholah, Wash.
“Where are we going to go if the house does get in a state where it’s not livable?” Sonny Curley wondered. “Where are my parents going to go and where are my kids going to go?” The Quinault, historically known as skilled fishers and hunters who traveled the water for trading, ceded millions of acres to the U.S. government more than 150 years ago in exchange for a roughly 200,000-acre reservation on the coast. The tribe was promised peace and a permanent home,Taholah is close to the ocean and rests on estuary soils and fill that are infiltrated more easily by saltwater.
The flooding has left some homes plagued by mold and destroyed several outbuildings. Likely worse is in store: Taholah is expected to see a sea level rise of 1 to 2.6 feet by the year 2100, according to a 2018 Alyssa Johnston, project developer for the relocation, poses for a portrait at a site of 59 residential lots a half-mile away from the original village of Taholah, Wednesday, May 15, 2024, on the Quinault reservation in Taholah, Wash.
They’ve gotten $12 million through Washington state’s Climate Commitment Act, but most will go toward relocating another Quinault village, Queets, which also has flooding issues. A small amount has been earmarked to study salmon declines due to glacier melt and rising river temperatures. The tribe relies on the fish for everything from food to jobs to cultural traditions.