Oprah rejects claims she closed Hawaii street amid tsunami warning

#Oprah Winfrey refuted widespread on-line claims Wednesday (July 30, 2025) that she blocked off a personal street on #Hawaii property she owns, stopping tsunami evacuees from rapidly reaching larger floor.

Ms. Winfrey has a residence on the #Hawaiian island of #Maui, the place tsunami warnings have been issued after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck #Russia.

Nicole Nichols, a spokesperson for the billionaire speak present host, advised AFP Ms. Winfrey’s crew contacted native legislation enforcement and the #Federal Emergency Management Agency to make sure the street was opened “as soon as we heard the tsunami warnings.”

“Any reports otherwise are false,” Nichols mentioned in a press release.

Across social media, offended customers accused Ms. Winfrey of refusing to make her street accessible at any level to evacuees, regardless of heavy visitors on the island. Some posts amassed thousands and thousands of views.

But #Maui officers repeatedly listed the route as an choice in emergency alerts.

“Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry,” the county wrote, citing the #Maui police division.

Nichols mentioned native legislation enforcement had been serving to residents via the street 50 vehicles at a time and that the passageway would stay open “as long as necessary.”

The #Pacific #Tsunami Warning Center later downgraded the scenario in #Hawaii to a tsunami advisory, and #Maui authorities lifted evacuation orders.

The media mogul additionally confronted disinformation after wildfires devastated #Maui in 2023, with conspiracists falsely claiming she had painted her roof blue to evade high-energy lasers they blamed for the blazes, and others saying she ignited them herself as a part of a land seize.