Washington Tribe OK’d to Move Out Of Tsunami Zone

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that will allow the Quileute tribe to move its school and other buildings out of a tsunami zone on the Washington coast to higher ground in Olympic National Park.

The land transfer bill gives the tribe 785 acres in the park and settles a reservation boundary dispute. In return the tribe assures access to coastal beaches that are reached by trails through tribal lands.

The Peninsula Daily News reports there’s similar legislation awaiting action in the U.S. Senate.

The tribe needs higher land to put the school, elder and child care centers and the tribal headquarters out of reach of a tsunami.

The tribe has been seeking land to move to outside of the tsunami zone for about 50 years.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Washington Oklahoma