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Oprah Winfrey opened her private road in Maui, Hawaii, to help residents evacuate the area amid a tsunami alert following a huge earthquake off Russia’s coast, authorities have said.
On Tuesday, July 29, the first waves triggered by the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake reached Hawaii, with a 4-foot wave being recorded off the island of Oahu, per the BBC.
A wave over 5-feet high was also reported in Kahului, on the north-central shore of Maui island, CNN stated, citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A 4.5-foot tsunami wave was also recorded in Hilo in Hawaii County, the outlet noted.
Many people in Hawaii, as well as areas of the U.S. West Coast and Japan were told to evacuate after the quake hit Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, the BBC stated. According to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center (USNTWC), the earthquake hit Russia in the early hours of Wednesday.
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Amid the warnings, Maui County put out a news release stating that Winfrey, 71, was doing her part to help.
“Oprah’s road is open to get Upcountry, according to Maui Police Department,” a post noted, referencing the area located on a higher elevation surrounding Haleakalā.
“As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was opened,” Winfrey’s spokesperson told CNN.
“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,” the rep added, per the outlet.
PEOPLE has contacted Winfrey’s spokesperson for comment.
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By around 11 p.m. local time in Hawaii, the tsunami warning was downgraded to an advisory level, the BBC reported, citing the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, adding that Hawaii Emergency Management Agency director Stephen Logan had said that those evacuated could return home.
According to the Associated Press, the quake is one of the strongest to ever be recorded. The NSW Los Angeles also reported that the tsunami had reached the California coast shortly after 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning, confirming that a 4-feet, 4-inch tide had been recorded in the Arena Cove area.
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CNN reported that tsunami waves had also arrived early Wednesday along the Washington and Oregon coastlines.
No substantial damage has been reported so far, but authorities are continuing to warn people to stay away from shorelines and get to safer areas, the AP noted.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said data from the island group of Midway Atoll, located between Japan and Hawaii, had measured waves of around 6 feet, the news agency stated.
Dave Snider, who is the tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said of the warnings, “A tsunami is not just one wave. It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time,” per the AP.
“Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there,” he added, according to the news agency.
“In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they’re going to be moving back and forth for quite a while,” Snider continued, stating that this is why some areas may feel the effects for longer.
