east island

East Island, part of the French Frigate Shoals in the remote northwestern Hawaiian Islands, was an 11-acre islet that served as critical habitat for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, threatened Hawaiian green sea turtle, and seabirds. In 2018, a powerful hurricane in the eastern Pacific washed away the island, which was approximately half a mile long and 400 feet wide. The disappearance of East Island highlights the vulnerability of low-lying islands to extreme weather events and the potential impacts on protected wildlife species.