Oprah Winfrey’s spokesperson set the record straight amid speculation that the former talk show host closed her private Hawaii road during a tsunami evacuation.
“As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,” Winfrey’s camp claimed on Wednesday (via Deadline).
“Any reports otherwise are false,” the statement continued, noting that “local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone’s safety.”
Oprah Winfrey opened her private road amid the tsunami evacuation in Hawaii.Getty Images
The former talk show host has a $60 million estate in Maui.© New York Post
Winfrey’s spokesperson concluded, “The road will remain open as long as necessary.”
The Maui Police Department confirmed this as well, writing in an advisory that the 71-year-old’s “road is open to get Upcountry.”
The Emmy winner, who also has homes in Montecito, Calif., and Telluride, Colo., began acquiring land for her $60 million estate in Maui in 2002.
The property features a road connecting the Wailea coastal area to the Kula uplands.© New York Post
“The road was opened” and “any reports otherwise are false,” according to Winfrey’s spokesperson.Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The property features a private road that connects the Wailea coastal area to the Kula uplands.
Tsunami alerts were sent on Tuesday afternoon following a massive 8.8 earthquake in Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula.
Parts of the California coast and Japan were also given warnings.
Residents were ushered through “50 cars at a time.”Bloomberg via Getty Images
“The road will remain open as long as necessary,” Winfrey’s team noted.GC Images
After waves ranging from four to five feet were documented in Oahu, Kahului and Hilo, Hawaii’s tsunami threat was downgraded Tuesday evening to an advisory.
Those who evacuated were given the green light to return home.
In August 2023, the state was ravaged by wildfires.
The Maui Police Department confirmed, “Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry.”Getty Images
The Emmy winner has been acquiring land in Hawaii since 2002.Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions
Winfrey, whose home was not affected at the time, donated a combined $10 million with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the cause — and was surprised by the online backlash they received over asking social media users to pitch in as well.
“I was so excited about it, and then I got up the next morning, and I saw all of this vitriol, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?’” she told “CBS Mornings” viewers the following month.
The Oscar nominee, who has a net worth of more than $2.8 billion, added, “It made me sad that we are at this state in our country.”
