Oprah became overwhelmed with emotion while visiting families at a wildfire disaster center in Hawaii.
The media mogul handed out supplies at the War Memorial Gymnasium in Maui on Thursday, and spoke with residents who’ve taken shelter at the facility.
A BBC News crew asked Winfrey what was going through her mind as she spoke with people affected by the disaster.
“It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m really so pleased to have so many people supporting and people are just bringing what they can,” she said.
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The talk show titan noted that she visited the shelter, then returned with much-needed supplies.
“I came earlier, just to see what people needed, and then went shopping — because often you make donations of clothes or whatever and it’s not really what people need,” she said. “So I actually went to Walmart and Costco and got pillows, shampoo, diapers, sheets.”
At least three wildfires erupted on Maui this week fueled by strong winds, the Associated Press reported. As of Friday morning, the death toll stood at 55, after the flames wiped out the historic town of Lahaina — which was once the capital of the former Hawaiian kingdom.
Witnesses said some of the people who died became trapped in their cars when fast-moving flames swept through the area.
“It looked like they were trying to get out, but were stuck in traffic,” Tiffany Kidder Winn told the AP.
Hawaii News Now reports Winfrey owns more than 2,000 acres in Kula and Hana, and is one of Maui’s biggest private landholders.
