COBRA TEAM / BACKGRID

Oprah Winfrey denies claims that she kept her private road closed so Maui residents couldn’t get to higher ground during the tsunami evacuation.

“As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,” Oprah’s camp told Deadline on Wednesday.

“Any reports otherwise are false,” the statement continued. Oprah’s rep noted that “local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone’s safety.”

But the story was different this morning, as gridlocked cars were seen trying to access Oprah’s private road on her $60 million estate in Maui.

Oprah also owns homes in Montecito, Calif., and Telluride, Colo.

A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit the eastern coast of Russia on Tuesday, July 29, triggering tsunami warnings from Japan, Hawaii, the Philippines, to California, Washington state and Oregon.

Opening Oprah’s private road in Hawaii would allow residents to reach higher ground ahead of the incoming tsunami. Video uploaded to X (Twitter) by video journalist Nick Sorter shows gridlocked roads as residents try to escape the incoming tsunami.

A tsunami is a catastrophic ocean wave generated by displacement from earthquakes and other natural events.

“I’m stuck with my children in the truck with sirens going off,” Maui resident Shelby Hosana tells Sorter.

“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,” she added.

Over 2,200 Haitians died when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck southern Haiti in 2021. So far, there are no confirmed reports of deaths in Russia.