A remote northwestern Hawaiian island has nearly vanished after Hurricane Walaka barreled through the Pacific last month, eliminating — at least for now — a critical habitat for endangered species.
Only two minuscule slivers of East Island have resurfaced since the Category 5 storm struck the region and washed away the 11-acre strip of sand and gravel that is part of the French Frigate Shoals.
“Without a doubt it was the most important nesting site for green sea turtles,” Charles Littnan, a biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program, told NPR.
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