Behind the 10-foot seawall that separates the Quinault Indian Nation village of Taholah from the Pacific, kayaks and canoes are scattered among mobile homes. They nestle against pickups and lie upside-down in overgrown yards, multicolored hulls to the sky. Once reserved for navigating the currents of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the vessels now serve another purpose: emergency transport.
Storm surges propelled by higher seas, glacier melt and heavy winter rainfall have breached the riprap barrier often in recent years, forcing people to evacuate as saltwater came up through floorboards and doorways. Much of the community’s infrastructure, already degraded by the salty marine air, has been jeopardized, including a smokehouse, courthouse, post office and the only store, the Mercantile.
