Did Oprah refuse to open Private Maui Road to help trapped families amid tsunami? Viral post explored as “Open the road” trends on X

Oprah Winfrey, who owns a farmhouse in Maui as a part-time residence, was previously rumored of refusing to open the private Maui road in light of the recent tsunami warnings, but that claim has now proven to be false.

Additionally, local agencies and government bodies have not confirmed whether the route in question is an officially chartered route for evacuation.

The allegation, which originated on social media, claimed that the legendary Show host had allegedly not been forthcoming in helping people flee to higher grounds to escape the devastating tsunami.

According to CNN, a warning has been issued by the official local authorities to the residents of Maui, stating that a possible ten-foot tsunami might be on its way. The tsunami was triggered by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake originating from the Eastern coast of Russia.

More about the alleged rumors about Oprah Winfrey's refusal to open the private Maui road to help people get to safety

The billionaire has long owned properties in Maui. She particularly owns access to a private road that connects Wailea to Kula, which gives easier access to higher grounds.

According to claims on social media, the media mogul has allegedly not opened access to this road, which provides quicker access to safer areas.

Several accounts on X (formerly Twitter) started spreading this claim, alleging that she has refused to open the road and help people. One such user, @nicksortor, was among the many who made these accusations. His tweet, however, provides no evidence. In his tweet, he wrote:

"🚨 BREAKING: People on Maui, Hawaii trying to escape the tsunami are BEGGING Oprah to open her private road to higher ground, and she’s STILL REFUSINGTIME IS RUNNING OUT. Oprah’s road is marked in blue. The ONLY OTHER ROUTE to higher ground is the RED ROUTE, and it’s GRIDLOCKED. OPEN THE ROAD FROM WAILEA, @OPRAH! Maui government should FORCE it open if they have to!."

It is true that she has not yet given access, but there is no evidence to show that she has explicitly refused to help people of Maui. The above claims have now led to other accounts tweeting about it, causing "Open the Roads" to trend on X (formerly Twitter). But all of these claims are based on no clear evidence. One user said:

"Oprah is reportedly refusing to open her private road in Hawaii to save lives for those fleeing the tsunami to higher ground! OPEN. THE. ROAD."

Another person falsely claimed that she was still refusing to open the road and said:

"Watched People in Maui Hawaii trying to escape the tsunami are BEGGING Oprah to OPEN THE ROAD and she’s still refusing #Tsunami."

This person tweeted:

"BREAKING - Oprah is still refusing to open her private road, the Blue Line from Wailea to Kula, Hawaii, preventing thousands of Hawaiians from escaping to higher ground to avoid the tsunami."

Sortor in a updated post claimed after "intense" public pressure, the media mogul opened her private road for people fleeing the tsunami.

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Back in 2019, The Color Purple actress had opened the private Maui road to help people escape the fires that broke out in Central Maui. She was later thanked by the governor of Hawaii for her efforts, as it helped evacuate thousands of people in time.

According to CNN, once again in 2023, she helped during the devastating fire by providing various necessities to those living in shelters.

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