Oprah Winfrey is back in the hot seat over her 1,000-acre property on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
An earthquake, measuring 8.8 on the Richer scale, struck off the coast of Russia on July 29, triggering a tsunami that affected the Pacific. Waves triggered by the quake reached Hawaii after emergency alerts for the area.
According to the Maui County government, a tsunami warning was sent out to its constituents. Individuals in coastal areas were advised to head inland and to high ground.
Winfrey, 71, faced widespread online backlash over social media posts claiming her estate’s private road was closed during the evacuations. One tweet about those accusations went viral on Tuesday.
Conservative independent reporter Nick Sortor shared a tweet on July 29 claiming other residents were not allowed access to Winfrey’s road. Maui’s Shelby Hosana told Sortor, “I’m stuck with my children in the truck with sirens going off.”
Hosana also said, “If Oprah’s road was open, I could have a way to get out. Instead we will just hope and pray the first wave time estimates are correct and we still have time to get to higher ground.”
Sortor included a video supposedly showing traffic backed up as people tried to get to the interior of the island. The 12-second clip has amassed more than 13.8 million views, but X attached a community note to the tweet that label the accusations as “false.”
Plus, Winfrey’s team vehemently pushed back on the narrative that “The Color Purple” actress was blocking her neighbors from safety.
“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,” read a statement from Winfrey’s spokesperson, per People.
Her representative added, “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.”
The Maui Police Department backed out that claim from the billionaire businesswoman’s rep. A July 29 press release from Maui County shared at 7:16 p.m. stated, “Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry.”
Despite Winfrey apparently cooperating with law enforcement during the large exodus on Hawaii’s second-largest island, critics still blasted the so-called Queen of All Media.
“Are the locals supposed to bow at her feet for ‘opening her private road’ for evacuations?” a People reader sarcastically asked in the comment section.
One commenter suggested Winfrey was making a public relation move, writing, “She needs some media coverage and gets it by doing a meaningless act.”
“Oh my gosh, someone get the Nobel people on the horn STAT! How gracious of her to let the plebes escape danger,” a third Winfrey critic mockingly posted.
Someone similarly blasted the OWN founder by exclaiming, “A settler opening a road that doesn’t belong to them to the public, wow, how brave…. Deserves a Nobel Peace Prize!”
“Guess she learned her lesson after the fires?” another commenter wondered, referring to the deadly wildfires that devastated Maui in 2023.
More than 100 people lost their lives from the wind-driven flames. An estimated $5.5 billion worth of damage was left in the wake of the catastrophe that lasted for over a week.
Debunked conspiracy theories alleging that Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stole money attained through the People’s Fund of Maui initiative rapidly spread on the internet.
The Associated Press reported that the People’s Fund of Maui raised nearly $60 million and distributed money to over 8,100 adults between September 2023 and February 2024.
Great Job Y. Kyles & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
