00:00A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on 31st of July triggered
00:17tsunami warnings across the Pacific, including Hawaii. Coastal communities on Maui and other
00:23islands were ordered to evacuate urgently to seek higher ground. During this tense time,
00:29social media erupted with accusations against American host Oprah Winfrey, alleging that she
00:35blocked access to a private road on her Maui property, a critical evacuation route locally
00:41nicknamed Oprah's Road. This route, named after Oprah, connects the coastal town of Wailia
00:48to the elevated region of Kula. This road drastically reduces traffic congestion during evacuations.
00:55A video went viral in which a man can be seen as saying,
00:59Look at this, I think they are trying to open Oprah's Road. Come on Oprah, save us,
01:04everybody is trying to get in. Cops trying to open it? Nope, still closed. People claimed that by
01:12keeping the road closed or delaying its opening, Oprah Winfrey had trapped some residents, preventing
01:17them from escaping the approaching tsunami. But what is the truth behind this controversy? First,
01:23the contested road is actually a portion of Kialakapu Road, which is not owned by Oprah Winfrey. The road
01:29is actually a part of Hialakala Ranch, which is privately owned by Baldwin family. The ranch encompasses
01:35nearly 30,000 acres stretching from the southern shoreline to the upcountry Maui. Oprah Winfrey holds an
01:42easement agreement, allowing her to use and maintain the road. But she does not have any ownership or unilateral
01:49control. Local officials, including the ranch and law enforcement, are responsible for managing
01:55access to the road. According to Hialakala Ranch's president, Scott Meadil, they had conversations with
02:00Winfrey's land management staff during the process, so they are consulted to be sure. But Winfrey's
02:07representative noted that the decision to open the road to the public is principally up to the land
02:13owner. Hialakala Ranch contacted the local fire department and the Maui Emergency Management Agency
02:20just after 3pm local time, shortly after the tsunami warning went into effect. The road was made
02:26accessible shortly after 5pm, and the ranch personnel assisted in the evacuation of around 150 to 200
02:33bikers until the final group of cars were escorted up the road at 7pm. This information was reportedly
02:40given by Hialakala Ranch's president, Scott Meadil. Law enforcement supervised vehicle groups to prevent
02:47accidents, limiting the number of cars allowed at a time which caused inevitable congestion on the
02:53route. But this was a safety measure, not a denial of access. Oprah Winfrey's spokesperson,
02:59Nicole Nichols, firmly denied claims that she or her staff blocked the road,
03:04calling the accusations false and misleading. They stated that Winfrey's team immediately reached
03:09out to the local authorities and Federal Emergency Management Agency to keep evacuation routes clear.
03:16As per reports, the Maui Police Department confirmed that the road was open and accessible
03:22during evacuations. So why the backlash? Much of the social media outrage appears to be fuelled
03:27by long-standing frustration among Hawaii residents over wealthy outsiders owning large swaths of land on
03:35the islands including Oprah's extensive property holdings in Maui. These tensions were heightened
03:41by recent trauma such as the devastating 2023 Lahaina wildfires which deepened local concerns about land
03:48access, housing and resource control. False narratives have circulated before as well including unfounded
03:55claims about Oprah Winfrey's response to the wildfire and even baseness theories linking her to starting them.
04:02In reality, Oprah Winfrey co-founded the People's Fund for Maui and committed millions to assist
04:09fire victims.
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