TAHOLAH, Wash. — For generations, Quinault Indian Nation members have thrived on the Washington coast.
But the tribe said it's time to go.
The traditional villages, with homes just feet from the beaches of Taholah and Queets, are in danger, according to the tribe.
The risk of a tsunami and rising sea levels has tribal members looking to move to higher ground.
The tribe just received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to build eight homes in a development several hundred feet above sea level.
“We're moving forward and we're making a change,” said Mariah Ralston, Quinault Housing Authority executive director. “It really rewarding and satisfying to see that happen today.”
She said the tribe has plans to build 59 new homes in the upper village, along with relocating the school currently at sea level.
Costs could end up close to $500 million.
Ralston said the tribe is in the process of applying for other state and federal grants to help offset expenses.
Ryan Hendricks, a tribal council member who lives in the coastal village, said he and his family will sleep better at night if they don’t have to worry about the Pacific Ocean posing a threat.
”We have a family of nine, so we have a ‘bug out’ bag and we keep it right next to the door, and it's full of food and supplies and everything that we would need to survive with the basics for a few days,” Hendricks said.
As part of the same HUD grant program, the Colville Indian Housing Authority got $6 million to pay for the construction of 18 new homes in Omak.