Oprah Winfrey opened a private road on her Maui property to help residents evacuate safely on Tuesday after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Russia triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific. The powerful quake—the strongest recorded globally since 2011—prompted Hawaii officials to issue urgent evacuation orders for all islands, urging people in low-lying areas to move to higher ground.

Maui was expected to face wave surges of over five feet, and local agencies moved quickly to organize escape routes. As part of that effort, a road owned and maintained by Winfrey near Haleakalā was opened to the public, helping hundreds flee to safety.

Initial reports falsely suggested Winfrey had withheld access to the road, but her representatives refuted those claims, saying she coordinated with local authorities as soon as the tsunami warnings were issued. “As soon as we heard the tsunami warnings, we contacted local law enforcement and FEMA to ensure the road was open,” a spokesperson said. “Any other reports are false.”

The private road, which sits on land covered by an easement agreement between Winfrey and Haleakalā Ranch, is typically restricted to non-public use. However, the agreement allows Winfrey to make improvements, including paving the road, and the decision to open it for public use ultimately rests with the landowner.

According to Scott Meidell, president of Haleakalā Ranch, the road was opened around 5 p.m. after consultations between ranch officials and Winfrey’s land management team. Ranch personnel helped escort approximately 150 to 200 vehicles between 5 and 7 p.m., using convoys led and followed by safety vehicles to ensure secure passage on the mountain road.

By 7 p.m., officials confirmed that the main highway had cleared and further evacuations weren’t needed. Maui County issued public advisories affirming that the road was open to evacuees, and repeated the update in a later statement around 9:30 p.m.

Despite the urgent nature of the evacuation, the process appears to have been handled swiftly and collaboratively between Winfrey’s team, Haleakalā Ranch, and local agencies. As of late Tuesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center downgraded the tsunami threat for Hawaii to an advisory, ending immediate danger to the islands.

Winfrey, who owns a large estate on Maui and has faced criticism in the past over access issues, appears to have taken prompt action in response to the tsunami threat, helping dozens of families reach higher ground during the emergency.