On Nov. 12, a succession of storms had backed up the Hoh River where it meets the Pacific Ocean. The ocean at that location was experiencing high waves and pounding surf, super soaker rain events and was causing the river to overflow its banks, threatening homes on tribal land with flooding.
The Olympic Corrections Center was contacted that morning by Catherine Edwards, executive director of the Hoh Tribe, for assistance with sandbagging in anticipation of continued high winds, heavy rain and an estimated 20-foot surf near the reservation.
Superintendent John Aldana authorized emergency assistance and Shift Commander James O’Hara mobilized a response where Officer Steve Shaw was deployed with a crew of nine offenders who volunteered to assist in the effort.
Aldana and CPM Jason Bennett traveled to the site and took in the magnitude and force of the ocean and its impact on the residential areas. In a driving rain and wind event the offender crew, its staff and Hoh Tribe Maintenance Department staff member Lester Fisher came together to fill bags and create barriers around affected homes.
Aldana said, “As good public stewards and whether it is a wildland fire, a landslide, flooding event or lending logistical support, we always come together with our partners and our communities to assist in protecting people, homes and the environment.”
Aldana added, “The offender crews work tirelessly to accomplish the mission at hand and for a moment in time they shed the stigma of being a convicted felon and surfaced as emergency responders. As such they give so much back to the communities.”
On Nov. 18, as a result of successive damaging storms, Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for all areas that had been impacted by the force and magnitude of these weather events.
