*A Category 5 Hurricane 🌪 Wiped an Entire Hawaiian Island Off the Map❗*

Hawaii's East Island is no longer on the map.

The island, located about 550 miles northwest of Honolulu, is part of a chain of small island groups in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. When the chain was swept by powerful storm surges from Hurricane Walaka earlier this month, East Island was submerged.

The island was uninhabited, but scientists are worried because it was a refuge for two of the most endangered animals in the world: the Hawaiian green sea turtle and the Hawaiian monk seal.

Almost 96% of Hawaii's green turtle population travels to the island chain, known as the French Frigate Shoals, for safe nesting during their breeding season, according to Chip Fletcher, an earth science professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

"As we moved around the island this past July, every single step we had to be careful, because there was evidence of turtle nesting," Fletcher told CNN. "But, thankfully, most of the eggs would have hatched and the hatchlings gone, by the time the hurricane hit."

The Hawaiian monk seals -- there's only about 1,400 of them left in the world -- spend most of their time on the island lying under the sun and resting on its beaches. Fletcher says they're usually able to navigate their way around during storms like this one. "So we have some reason to be optimistic that it wasn't totally devastating," he said. "But the final assessment will rest with the biologists."