Oprah Winfrey Slammed By Hawaiians After One Of The Biggest Ever Earthquakes

Oprah Winfrey is not exactly on good terms with Hawaiians right now.

Calls have increased for the former talk show queen to intervene in de-escalating the upcoming Tsunami effects by opening up her private road for people to get to safety. However, Winfrey's team has debunked rumors of her refusal to help.

Oprah Winfrey began purchasing land for her expansive ranch on Maui island in 2002. The property features a private road which reportedly connects the Wailea coastal area to the uplands of Kula, a safe spot the populace were trying to access.

"Tsunami warning in Maui roads are gridlocked as people try to reach higher ground. Oprah, your private road could save lives right now. Please open it. Every second counts," wrote an X page in its pleas to the celebrity to aid easier movement to the uplands in anticipation of the natural disaster.

Another concerned netizen noted that if they were in Oprah's shoes, they would sell their property and not turn their backs on the Hawaiian people like she has allegedly done twice now.

A third commenter suggested a more rugged approach, urging Hawaiians to "just drive through the gate and get people to safety," adding that people's safety takes preeminence over property damage in severe situations.

One more displeased X user condemned the former talk show host for seemingly watching people's properties get destroyed and folding her arms in their moment of danger.

"You are literally Satan in the flesh. (Which I'm sure isn't an insult for you but a badge of honor.) B-tch," the person concluded.

Oprah's camp quickly reacted to the news making rounds on social media about her private road remaining closed in the moment of panic, as seen on Daily Mail.

According to her spokesperson, the former talk show host's team contacted appropriate authorities to keep the roads open as soon as news of an impending tsunami hit the airways. They affirmed that local law enforcement is also helping residents to stay safe in the uplands. 

"Local law enforcement is 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," the rep added.

The forthcoming tsunami in Hawaii is reportedly triggered by a massive earthquake in Russia, which hit the Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, causing about 15-foot waves across the Pacific. Hence, evacuations were ordered in Japan, Russia, Hawaii, Colombia, and some parts of the U.S. West Coast.

The disaster, tagged as the sixth-largest earthquake to be recorded in modern times, was described by EOS as one of the strongest earthquakes yet to affect the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The earthquake reportedly originated from the Kuril-Kamchatka arc, which stands right between the Pacific tectonic plate and the Okhotsk microplate. The disaster reportedly came with intense reverberations and shaking in the southern area of Kamchatka.

The effects of the earthquake were not just restricted to Russia; surrounding regions like Japan were also affected. It also generated waves of more than 1.3 meters in the Kuji Port of northern Honshu.

In Northern California, waves reportedly reached about 1.2 meters. In Hawaii, the meteorological agency recorded reports of waves reaching 1.74 meters in Kahului on Maui and 1.5 meters in Hilo on the Big Island. 

It has been quite a controversial year for the TV veteran. In January, The Blast reported that she came under fire for sharing a grand revelation she had about weight management for the slim side.

Oprah came clean about her Ozempic use to achieve an incredible weight transformation, and with that, she now knows thin people do not maintain their weight due to willpower.

According to her, the absence of overwhelming cravings and spontaneous thoughts to eat a belly full was the secret behind those trimmed figures. In her words:

"And then I realized the very first time I took the GLP-1 that they're not even thinking about it. They're eating when they're hungry, and they're stopping when they're full."

Many social media users disagreed with the media figure, noting that thin people put in as much work as bigger people when it comes to weight management. They condemned Oprah for viewing the situation from a single perspective and making unfair generalizations.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, GLP-1 is mainly used to manage blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes. It can also reduce food intake, tame the appetite and hunger pangs, thus aiding weight loss.

Oprah’s confession about using Ozempic to manage her weight did not come until 2023, as she had earlier described those who indulged in it as lazy, who wanted an easy way out.

Soon after, she did a 180 in what she described as a release of shame about her weight and decided to give the drug a shot, a move that earned her about 50 pounds in weight loss.

She described the invention and discovery of Ozempic as a gift in her lifetime, a redemption that no one should feel ashamed of using or be ridiculed for trying it. 

Oprah continued incorporating the drug into her fitness routine to help her achieve her weight loss goal from a staggering 237lbs to a much more trimmed look.

Hopefully, Hawaiians make it to safety quickly before the issue escalates!