Tidal flooding forced the evacuation of Taholah in 2022, with the tribal government putting up elders at its casino 25 miles down the coast.įrenchman knew the hazards of living by the sea wall when she bought her home in 2020, but housing is scarce in Taholah. 'There's a few new ones today, even,' Frenchman said.
Waves deposit hulking driftwood logs on top of the sea wall and, occasionally, into people's backyards. 'Like, I'll have a full current going.'Įach winter, the highest tides of the year - known as king tides - threaten to flood the low-lying village of 800 people, the largest on the Quinault Reservation. 'At high tide in winter, the waves will come over, my backyard will fill with water, and you'll see the water running under my house, out into the street,' Frenchman said.
The Quinault tribal member and historic preservation officer lives with her partner and two kids in a modular home perched on cinder blocks in the shadow of the sea wall. 'It is inevitable that my street will be in the ocean at some point,' Lia Frenchman said.
