On July 29, a massive earthquake occurred of the coast of Russia, which resulted a tsunami hitting the Hawaiian Islands. As citizens rushed to evacuated, online detectives were quick to point their spotlights at Oprah Winfrey, who owns property in Hawaii that includes a private road that, if it were open to the public, would offer a much faster evacuation route to the public. Though the road did become public, many social media users insist it only happened after receiving pressure from the online world. Keep reading for more information.
Oprah Opens Her “Private” Road
The road in question, which technically belongs to Haleakalā Ranch, is on Oprah’s property, meaning she has the legal right to use and maintain the road, but doesn’t own it. It’s often referred to by locals, though, as “Oprah’s road,” and is closed to the public. However, given it provides a must faster evacuation route, when the tsunami warning was issued just after 3pm, it was understandable that a lot of online users wanted that road open immediately.
After the warning, local law enforcement coordinated with Haleakalā Ranch, Oprah’s team, and FEMA, and the road was opened to the public two hours later. It remained open for 2-3 hours before closing again, and between 150-200 vehicles were escorted through.
Oprah Responds To Backlash
For many, two hours was a perfectly reasonable amount of time for it to take to open a private road during a state of emergency. But for others, it was much too long. Users online started calling out Oprah for even having a “private road” in Hawaii, a state where 1 in 7 people have Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Oprah’s team was quick to respond to the backlash, though. “As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,” a spokesperson said. “Any reports otherwise are false.”
Social Media Response
Of course, arguments are now taking place all over social media platforms, especially after outlets like People framed the story with headlines like, “Oprah Winfrey Opens Her Private Road in Mai for Tsunami Evacuation as Waves Hit U.S. West Coast and Hawaii After Earthquake.”
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Oprah Responds To Backlash
For many, two hours was a perfectly reasonable amount of time for it to take to open a private road during a state of emergency. But for others, it was much too long. Users online started calling out Oprah for even having a "private road" in Hawaii, a state where 1 in 7 people have Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Oprah's team was quick to respond to the backlash, though. "As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened," a spokesperson said. "Any reports otherwise are false."
Social Media Response
Of course, arguments are now taking place all over social media platforms, especially after outlets like People framed the story with headlines like, "Oprah Winfrey Opens Her Private Road in Mai for Tsunami Evacuation as Waves Hit U.S. West Coast and Hawaii After Earthquake."
Users left comments on People's Instagram post like, "Ummm you failed to mention the public outcry online begging for it to be opened. This headline is a lie."
"After a bunch of pressure!" another user wrote.
"After outrage from residents trying to evacuate for hours, then you open 'your stolen mountain road.' No shame," reads another comment.
"Why is someone allowed to own a road that is needed during an emergency?" one person asked. "What kind of zoning is that?" "After a bunch of pressure!" another user wrote.
"Anything to make herself look like a hero," a final person posted. "It's an emergency. It should be mandatory."
