The massive earthquake that struck off the coast of Russia has countries and regions around the Pacific scrambling to get residents to safety for any possible tsunami aftereffects.
In Hawaii, evacuations and emergency preparedness have been ongoing, but on the island of Maui, a backup of traffic to flee the island has been getting attention.
Highlights
- Major evacuations are underway in several Pacific Ocean regions after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia.
- On the island of Maui in Hawaii, where Oprah owns a ranch and apparently part of a road, some people claimed she had refused to open the road for public evacuations.
- Some netizens were quick to call out the TV personality for being selfish, while others called the claims false.
That’s because the most direct route to safety is via a private residency, and until now, the owner, Oprah, has seemingly refused to open it.
“Oprah, save us!”: People online posted videos claiming Oprah was not opening her private road in Maui
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The 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the early hours of Wednesday and prompted tsunami warnings for Japan, Alaska, Hawaii, North and Central America, and Pacific islands south toward New Zealand.
In Hawaii, Governor Josh Green issued an alert for residents to move away from the shorelines and get to higher ground.
On the island of Maui, videos have surfaced of long lines of cars trying to evacuate.
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco
In one, a person sitting in traffic shows a gated road with police standing in front and says, “Oprah, save us!” implying that the road is a shortcut to safety and that Oprah was not allowing people to use it.
The video was picked up and spread across X with people claiming Oprah was refusing to open the road, which was putting people in danger.
It’s true that Highway 37 goes around the island, rather than across it.
Image credits: Luigi Iorio/GC Images
According to news reports filed during the Maui wildfires of 2023, “Thompson Road is a public road that runs through private property owned by the Oprah Winfrey Ranch.”
Whether or not she refused to open the road in this latest instance is not clear.
The same person on X who first reported that Oprah was refusing to open her road now says the road is open and can be used for evacuations.
Netizens get fired up over Oprah allegedly refusing to open her private road
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All it took was the mention of Oprah for netizens to pounce.
In the first reports claiming she was refusing to open the road, people online said she was “evil.”
Others asked why the police wouldn’t just force her to open it.
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All the attention prompted some netizens to speculate: “Oprah, you’re about to be trending in the worst way.”
There were several people, however, who called the claims fake news.
One person posted a photo purporting to be of someone driving on Oprah’s road with the caption: “all these MAGA people sitting on their a*sess selling their souls posting about Oprah not opening her private road in Maui.”
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Media have said that during the Maui fire of 2019, Oprah apparently did open the road to the authorities.
“Access to the road was given to county officials immediately. This was many hours ago. Hoping for the safety of all,” she is quoted as saying at the time.
All flights in and out of Maui have been grounded as a precaution
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On the northern island of O’ahu, where the state’s capital of Honolulu is located, 4-foot (1.2-meter) waves have been recorded.
Emergency management authorities say people should remain outside the evacuation zone, which incorporates the entire coastline, until further notice.
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During a news conference, Governor Green said 6-foot (1.8-meter) waves have struck Midway Atoll, which is an unincorporated territory of the state with only a few residents.
Green said all flights in and out of the island of Maui have been canceled as a precaution, although airports have not yet been impacted by any waves, he continued.
For now, Green said there are no plans to shut off power in advance of any additional waves.
Crucially, Green said that there were no waves “of consequence” so far.
Russian officials say the quake was the strongest in decades
The epicenter of the earthquake was off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, which has triggered tsunami waves of up to 16 feet (5 meters).
According to Reuters, the earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region.
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The agency quoted the country’s emergency ministry: “Tsunami waves struck parts of Kamchatka, partially flooding the port and a fish processing plant in the town of Severo-Kurilsk and sweeping vessels from their moorings.”
The governor of the region said on social media that the earthquake was serious and “the strongest in decades.”
Reuters reports that Russian officials have said on Telegram that “a kindergarten was damaged but most buildings withstood the quake. No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported.”
People in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky region who were interviewed by the publication say shaking from the tremor lasted for over a minute.
“I decided to leave the building,” a person named Yaroslav said. “It felt like the walls could collapse any moment. The shaking lasted continuously for at least 3 minutes.”
Almost 20,000 people lost their lives in the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami
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One of the most disastrous earthquake and tsunami disasters happened on March 11th of 2011, when a 9-magnitude quake struck off the coast of Japan.
That quake triggered powerful tsunami waves that were up to 133 feet (40 meters) tall.
Some 19,759 people perished in that disaster, which also severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
The quake took out the plant’s power systems, causing the reactors to shut down, which released radioactive materials into the surrounding environment.
Netizens are fired up over allegations that Oprah refused to open her private road in Maui for tsunami evacuations
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