Evacuations were ordered in Hawaii, Japan, Russia, Colombia and part of the U.S. West coast after the quake hit near Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, casting out 15ft waves across the Pacific.

Live in Hawaii tsunami

Following the 8.8-magnitude megaquake, thousands of residents on Hawaii took to their cars to find safety on higher ground.

But some islanders have accused billionaire talk show host Oprah that she ‘refused’ to open her private road, which would helped to ease congestion for those trying to escape.

It is true that Oprah has a sprawling ranch on the island and the property features a private road that connects the Wailea coastal area to the Kula uplands – an area many frightened islanders were trying to reach.

Oprah Winfrey updates

One person vented on X: ‘Oprah won’t open her private road from Wailea to Kula, Hawaii, which would make it much easier for locals to get to higher ground.

‘Massive Traffic in Maui with thousands trying to escape the massive Tsunami coming. Open the road Oprah.’

Another quipped: ‘Oprah HAS NOT opened her private road from Wailea to Kula, Hawaii, which would allow coastal folks to reach higher ground quickly, locals tell me OPEN THE ROAD, @OPRAH.

Now, Oprah’s spokesperson has now insisted that these claims are false and that she opened the road as soon as she heard the warnings. 

They said: ‘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 US Geological Survey, the quake reached a magnitude of 8.8 and struck about 84 miles east-southeast of Kamchatska, Russia at around 7.24pm EST – marking the sixth strongest earthquake ever.

It was also believed to be the biggest ever to strike on the entire planet in 14 years, when a 9.1 megaquake hit northeast Japan and left 19,747 people either dead or missing.