AssetID: 54951453
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Oprah Winfrey denies refusing to open private road in Hawaii during tsunami evacuation
Caption: A spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey has denied that she refused to open her private road in Maui, Hawaii as people tried to evacuate following a tsunami warning. A massive 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia triggered tsunami warnings in Hawaii, Japan and the West Coast of America, among other regions, on Tuesday. Thousands of residents in Hawaii were ordered to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground, leading to major traffic jams across the U.S. island state. Some social media users claimed that Winfrey, who reportedly owns 1,000 acres of land in the Kula region of Maui, refused to open her private road to help ease congestion and speed up the evacuation process. However, her rep shut down the social media claims in a statement to the Mirror, insisting that she opened her road as soon as the tsunami warning was issued. "As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to ensure the road was opened. Any reports otherwise are false. Local law enforcement are currently on site helping residents through 50 cars at a time to ensure everyone's safety. The road will remain open as long as necessary. According to BBC News, the tsunami warning for Hawaii has been downgraded to an advisory level, meaning officials expect strong waves and minor flooding but not a major tsunami. On Tuesday night, local time, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency director Stephen Logan said those evacuated could return home. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Oprah Winfrey,Hawaii,Denies,Maui,United States,Tsunami,Evacuation,West Coast,America,Russia,Kamchatka,Peninsula,Earthquake,Higher Ground,Traffic Jams,Congestion,Host,Representativ,Acre,Warnings,Japan
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