Even though the tsunami threat in Hawaii had subsided on Wednesday, rumors persisted on social media, falsely claiming that Oprah Winfrey denied immediate access to a private road, hindering a quicker evacuation route for residents.
The falsehoods become prevalent following one of the most powerful earthquakes of the century, measuring an 8.8 magnitude off a Russian peninsula. This led to tsunami warnings and advisories across a broad region of the Pacific. On platforms like X and TikTok, it was wrongly stated that Winfrey either refused to open her private road or did so slowly during the evacuation process.
However, the road in question does not belong to Winfrey. Efforts to open the road for public use had commenced shortly after the issuance of the tsunami warning, thanks to the Haleakalā Ranch, a privately owned property for over a century, spanning across Maui’s southern shoreline to Upcountry. Despite popularly being referred to as “Oprah’s road”, it is not owned by Winfrey. Instead, it is part of the 30,000-acre ranch that has a usage agreement with Winfrey, allowing her to make certain improvements to the road.
Haleakalā Ranch got in touch with local authorities shortly after the tsunami warning was issued, offering the road for evacuation purposes. It became accessible to the public within hours, facilitating the safe evacuations of numerous vehicles until the evacuation advisory was lifted.
Winfrey’s representative dismissed the false claims, affirming that the decision to make the road accessible was made promptly in collaboration with local officials and her ranch management team. The reluctance of wealthy public figures, including Winfrey, to open their private lands has been a source of contention among some Hawaii residents, especially in light of a severe housing shortage exacerbated by the 2023 wildfires that ravaged Lahaina, killing over 100 people. Following these fires, there were baseless allegations on social media suggesting Winfrey prioritized protecting her property over assisting in firefighting efforts. However, Winfrey, alongside Dwyne Johnson, established the People’s Fund for Maui, donating $10 million to support residents who lost their homes in the fires. The fund raised almost $60 million by April 2024.
Winfrey has previously confirmed that her private road was made available to authorities after a brush fire in Maui’s southern region in 2019, though it wasn’t ultimately used.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jul/31/oprah-winfrey-private-road-hawaii-maui-tsunami
