No, Oprah Did Not Block a Tsunami Escape Route in Maui; She Did the Opposite
By Hope Talbot
What happened: Conservative social media users are claiming that Oprah Winfrey impeded people from seeking higher ground during the July 29 tsunami warnings in Hawaii by refusing to open a private road on her Maui estate.
Context: On July 29, Maui County issued an evacuation order after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Russia, urging residents to evacuate inland to higher ground.
A closer look: Shortly after the evacuation order was issued, social media accounts claimed that Winfrey refused to open a private road on her estate that would enable residents to reach higher ground.
Pro-MAGA X user @Bubblebathgirl stated: “Oprah won’t open her private road from Wailea to Kula, Hawaii, which would make it much easier for locals to get to higher ground. MASSIVE Traffic in Maui with thousands trying to escape the massive Tsunami coming. OPEN THE ROAD OPRAH.” The post garnered 920,000 views and 7,200 likes in one day.
Conservative user @MattWallace888 stated on X, “Oprah is still refusing to let residents use her private road in Hawaii to evacuate faster from the Tsunami warnings.” The post received 578,400 views and 6,900 likes in two days.
Actually: Police and a Winfrey spokesperson confirmed that the road was open for evacuations.
A July 29 police statement posted to the Maui County government website hours after the first evacuation alerts were issued stated that “Oprah’s road” was open for evacuation efforts.
In a statement to CNN, Winfrey’s unnamed spokesperson said that Winfrey’s team contacted FEMA and local law enforcement as soon as it heard the tsunami warnings. “Local law enforcement is currently on site, helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone’s safe,” the spokesperson said.
This article was originally published in Reality Check’s newsletter. Subscribe to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox.
You have been lied to about the f00d supply crisis and they are poisoning you watch this…
http://sfood1.trackdok.com