A recent earthquake in Russia has led to a domino effect of tsunamis all over the Pacific region, and Hawaii is among the most vulnerable areas. Hence, people have started evacuating from coastal areas. However, Oprah Winfrey, celebrity host and billionaire, came under fire for allegedly refusing to open her private road in Maui, Hawaii, effectively blocking the fastest escape route from the tsunami. The incident has since sparked off intense criticism and public scrutiny. Here’s one of the clips of the panic-stricken line of vehicles:
The video shows a long line of barely moving cars, whereas Oprah’s private road was allegedly clear of traffic. X user Nick Sorter is among those stuck a few hours ago on the road to higher ground. People fleeing the tsunami and seeking high ground have since begun their own protestations, and thankfully, after intense public pressure, Oprah opened her private road, allowing evacuees through.
At the moment, Oprah’s road remains open, and evacuees from the Wailea-Makena beach can now take the shortcut instead of going the longer way around and getting stuck in traffic, or possibly the tsunami surge. Despite allegedly caving in to public pressure, Oprah or whoever was responsible for opening her private road still faced scathing criticism, especially since people’s lives depended on the road.
Oprah’s critics claim that the road should’ve been opened hours ago, regardless of whether there was public pressure or not. Apparently, it took at least three hours for Oprah’s private road in Hawaii to be open for emergency purposes, and it’s a good thing people who got caught in traffic didn’t get caught in the potential tsunami.
Oprah’s History with Maui
For the record, Oprah has been a part-time resident of Maui, Hawaii, since 2004. Since then, she has acquired a substantial expanse of land (around 2,000 acres) and twelve large buildings on Maui, including palatial estates. It’s worth noting that Hawaii is actually facing a housing and land crisis, along with skyrocketing rent and living costs, largely due to wealthy people purchasing large tracts of the state’s severely limited land.
As for Oprah’s properties in Maui, the billionaire apparently doesn’t want public roads to be built on her land. Hence, the recent incident involving the tsunami evacuations and Oprah’s road barricades wasn’t exactly the first time Oprah was criticized for her land ownership. People have since voiced out their harsh criticisms against Oprah’s alleged blockade of her roads, and so far, the billionaire hasn’t responded:
“Because we poor folks might scratch up her nice new asphalt,” jokes @nicksortor
“Oprah doesn’t care about anyone but Oprah,” alleged @OneBadDude_
“And you get to drowned, and you get to drowned, you get to drowned, everybody gets to drowned !!,” quips @CoachMen1718194
