Oprah Winfrey has responded after viral social media posts claimed she kept her private road closed off despite tsunami warnings in Hawaii, with other roads gridlocked with people fleeing the coast to reach higher ground.

In a statement shared with Newsweek, a spokesperson for Winfrey said: “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.”

Why It Matters

On Wednesday morning, a powerful 8.8-magnitude undersea earthquake off Russia’s eastern coast triggered tsunami alerts.

The U.S., Japan, China and the Philippines are now all bracing for tsunamis, with the first waves hitting Hawaii, the Kuril Islands and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Tsunami warnings currently cover all eight of Hawaii’s islands.

What To Know

Winfrey has been living in Hawaii part-time for over 15 years and owns more than 2,000 acres of land on the island of Maui.

She owns a farm, located on the side of a dormant volcano called Haleakalā. Winfrey has a private road on the island but has been known to open this in times of crisis, including in 2019 and 2023, when she opened it to help people escape wildfires.

Claims on social media that Winfrey had kept her private road closed as people fled to higher ground to avoid a possible tsunami have amassed millions of views online.

Winfrey’s spokesperson told Newsweek that these reports are false, and that the road will remain open as long as is necessary.

A community note has been added to one post on X, viewed 2.4 million times, which claimed that Winfrey had kept the road closed. It notes that the road is open, citing the Maui Police Department.

Guidance under the Traffic Section of the police department’s Tsunami Warning Update, which is dated 7:16 p.m. on July 29 reads: “Maui Veterans Highway is congested; use Cane Haul Road toward Hansen and Pulehu roads to get to Kula. Road above Makena Golf Course provides access to Ulupalakua. Also, Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry, according to Maui Police Department.”

What People Are Saying

A spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey told Newsweek: “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. Local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone’s safety. The road will remain open as long as necessary.”

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said in a press conference on Tuesday evening: “So far we have not seen a wave of consequence, which is a great relief to us…We expect to be about two to three hours at least until we can call ‘all clear.’ So far though, at the moment, so good.”