Oprah Winfrey seems to be doing some damage control with a new video that she posted on Instagram.
The billionaire mogul has promised to make a major donation to the thousands of people affected by the horrific wildfires in Maui.
The wildfires have left more than 100 people dead in Lahaina. They have destroyed hundreds of homes and left the island unrecognizable.
In the video, Oprah explained that after visiting the war memorial shelter, where she helped and spent some time with the survivors, she plans to give a large sum of money in the upcoming days.
The journalist said: “When you don’t know what to do, you do whatever you can.” Oprah went on to reveal that she was able to donate basic supplies including “shampoo, sheets, and towels to the shelter.”
The media mogul spoke about how resilient the Hawaiian people are while acknowledging that the rebuilding process will be long.
Oprah stated: “At some point, I will make a major donation after all of the smoke and ashes have settled here and we figure out what the rebuilding will look like. This is going to be a long and difficult process.”
She also shared the story of a man named Julius who fled the dangerous fires after his skin was seriously burned.
The mogul added: “You’re going to see a lot of Phoenix stories rising from the ashes.”
Oprah has been in hot water this week; it was reported that she tried to enter the war memorial shelter in Wailuku, with a CBS camera crew in tow.
Officials at the shelter denied the camera crew access to the building because it was against their policies.
There was a statement issued on the bizarre situation by the official County of Maui that read: “To clarify, Oprah was able to visit our shelter and we thank her for instructing media journalists and camera crews to remain outside.”
The Facebook statement went on to say: “We welcome Oprah to continue to uplift our community’s spirit and give her aloha to victims of the tragic disaster. Her visit inside the shelter today was truly heartwarming and we appreciate her understanding of our policy of having no camera crews or reporters accompanying dignitaries and celebrities in our emergency shelters.”
Oprah owns several thousand acres of land on Maui. Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg also have properties on the archipelago.
Mr. Bezos has donated $100 million to the devastated island. President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency for the area and is thinking about visiting when it is possible.
