Oprah Winfrey has denied accusations that she blocked evacuees from using a private road during tsunami warnings in Hawaii on Tuesday. Social media posts claimed the billionaire media mogul refused to let people fleeing coastal areas use the road, but an Associated Press fact-check has confirmed the claims are false.
The road in question, a portion of Kealakapu Road sometimes called 'Oprah's road', is actually owned by Haleakala Ranch, not Winfrey. She has an easement agreement with the ranch allowing her to use and improve the road. The ranch decided to open the road to evacuees after the tsunami warning was issued.
Ranch president Scott Meidell said officials contacted the local fire department and Maui Emergency Management Agency just after 3 p.m. local time. The road was opened around two hours later, and ranch personnel helped evacuate between 150 and 200 vehicles until about 7 p.m. Meidell said no cars tried to use the road after that time.
A spokesperson for Winfrey said in a statement: 'As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened. Any reports otherwise are false.' Maui County officials also issued a press release confirming the road was open to the public.
The tsunami warning was issued after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia. The National Weather Service had warned of potentially dangerous inundation, prompting evacuations of at-risk coastal communities. The warning was later cancelled without significant tsunami damage.
