Oprah Winfrey denies blocking Hawaii road during tsunami evacuation

Watch Oprah Winfrey denies blocking Hawaii road during tsunami evacuation - New York Post on Dailymotion

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00:00Oprah Winfrey is clearing the air after speculation surfaced that she closed a private road on

00:05her Maui estate, allegedly blocking residents during the tsunami evacuation.

00:10But according to her team, that's simply not true.

00:13A rep for the media mogul says they acted fast once tsunami warnings hit, reaching out

00:17to both FEMA and local law enforcement immediately to ensure the road stayed open.

00:23They went on to say, quote,

00:25Many reports otherwise are false, adding that police were onsite actively guiding residents

00:29through 50 cars at a time to make sure evacuations were handled safely.

00:35The Maui Police Department backed that up in an official advisory, confirming that Oprah's

00:39road was open for folks trying to get upcountry.

00:42Oprah's Maui estate, which reportedly cost around $60 million, includes a private road

00:47that connects the Walea Coastal area to the Kula Upland.

00:51She's been buying land there since 2002.

00:53The July 29 tsunami alert followed a massive 8.8 earthquake off Russia's eastern coast.

01:00Waves up to five feet were recorded in places like Oahu and Kahului, prompting widespread

01:05evacuations before the threat was later downgraded to an advisory.

01:10If you remember, this isn't Oprah's first brush with Maui controversy.

01:14After the devastating wildfires last year, she and Dwayne The Rock Johnson donated $10 million

01:20to relief efforts, but faced online backlash after asking the public to chip in, too.

01:25She later told CBS Mornings she was blindsided by the criticism, saying,

01:29It made me sad that we are at this state in our country.

01:33So while the tsunami threat may have passed, Oprah's team says the rumors need to be downgraded,

01:37Listen to her.

01:39How did you do that?

01:40I want to know.

01:41We are getting the stares in this state of control on the ship.

01:42So now I'm going to wrap up this deck of the ship.

01:43I want to know.

01:44I let you do.