Oprah Opens Up, and Hawaii Breathes a Sigh of Relief After Tsunami Scare

For several hours on July 29, it felt like Hawaii was facing down a worst-case scenario. A massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake had just struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, the strongest quake there in decades, and within minutes, tsunami warnings started rippling across the Pacific, including the Islands of Aloha.

With sirens blaring across Hawaii by mid-afternoon, residents in coastal areas were told to evacuate immediately. Hotels scrambled to move guests to the fourth floor or higher. Roads were getting jam packed with cars, as locals and tourists alike tried to reach safer ground. At Daniel K. Inouye airport in Honolulu, flight after flight was delayed or canceled, leaving travelers stranded at terminals. Some Maui tourists were stuck inside hotel lobbies, not really sure where to go. According to Beat of Hawaii, “evacuation panic” set in as highways turned into parking lots and beaches emptied in minutes.

Amid the chaos, Oprah Winfrey, who owns an estate on Maui, opened her private road to help with the evacuation. The road, which connects the Wailea resort area to inland Kula, had faced controversy in the past. Some social media users wrongly accused Winfrey of keeping it closed during the evacuation, but her team quickly responded. According to People magazine, she worked with both Maui police and FEMA to ensure all evacuees could use the road. Police confirmed it had been opened, and traffic was allowed through in staggered groups to ensure safety.

But the tsunami wasn’t nearly as destructive as it was initially feared. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported wave activity across the islands, like Kahului in Maui, which saw waves as high as five feet. But thankfully there was no major flooding or serious damage. Warnings were downgraded by early evening, and by nightfall, residents were told it was safe to return to coastal areas. The Wall Street Journal noted that while some waves reached the western U.S., including the coasts of California and Oregon, they were similarly modest in impact.

There were no serious injuries or deaths reported. State officials credited a strong emergency plan, rapid communication, and public cooperation for helping the islands get through the scare relatively unscathed. While tourists had to deal with canceled flights and disrupted plans, most were relieved the nightmare scenario never came to pass.

Yes, it could have been so much worse. Instead, Hawaii got a reminder of just how fragile life on an island can be,.

Photos by NARA & DVIS Public Domain Archive and Maryland GovPics/Wikimedia Commons