By KOMO-TV staff, Seattle (KOMO and Peninsula Daily News are news partners
GRAYLAND, Pacific County — The two days of storms, high tides, high winds, and high surf have all combined to eat away at the shoreline at Washaway Beach, leaving two homes now as part of the Pacific Ocean and a third that’s set to join them soon.
The challenge right now: save as much as you can.
Ray Miller is in the middle of that challenge, racing against Mother Nature as the ocean surf laps at his front door step. Monday, the water’s edge was still 50 feet away.
“I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but I had hoped it wasn’t this soon,” Miller said.
He watched as his two neighbors lost their homes. A blue one fell a few days ago, and a red one just Tuesday.
“We were sleeping there with the fire going Monday morning and I was still being optimistic,” said Stanley Sabre who lost his home.
Stanley and Resha Sabre had just been enjoying the home hours before the ocean marched to their doorstep and consumed their home. They knew they were on borrowed time; that this was inevitable.
“It’s exciting,” said Stanley, “I married into the family 30 years ago and it’s a great adventure.”
For Resha, sadness for having to leave friends behind.
“An awesome group of people here,” said Resha Sabre, “And like right now they’re all together helping our neighbor across the street who is losing their house — obviously really soon.”
Jackie Diles heard about the evacuation on Facebook and came running. She doesn’t even know the homeowners.
“I keep watching the waves out there and watching how close they’re getting and getting a little nervous here,” she said,
Also at a home in danger is the dog known as “Washaway George.” The evacuating family can’t keep him, so Harbor Rescue is taking him, waiting for someone to adopt him.
This destructive force of nature has been going on for decades. Scores of homes have fallen into the water and whole neighborhoods gobbled up.
The beachfront used to be miles from here, now it’s just inches, and it’s not stopping.
And with a third storm coming in Thursday, Miller worries his home won’t survive, but the neighborhood takes some solace in that no one has been hurt.
