James Woods uses Twitter to support California wildfire victims
Actor James Woods uses Twitter to support California wildfire victims, and calls on Hollywood stars to stop ‘trolling’ and help.
Conservative actor James Woods called for Hollywood to take a break from “trolling Twitter” to focus on helping victims of California’s destructive wildfires that have killed at least 31 people.
“Every Californian with a #BlueCheckMark is invited to stop trolling @Twitter today and use your voice to retweet #Evacuation and #Safety advisories instead. Be sure to check the time an advisory was posted,” Woods tweeted on Monday. “Thank you! #SoCalFiresJamesWoods #CampFireJamesWoods”
Woods, a rare conservative in Hollywood, typically tweets political statements to his 1.84 million followers, but the actor has taken his own advice and used his massive platform to help with issues pertaining to the deadly fires. Woods even changed his bio and pinned tweet to information aimed to help victims find missing loved ones as his Twitter feed has morphed into a comprehensive fire survival guide for California residents.
Woods has been tweeting non-stop, with messages ranging from tips to keep animals safe to lists of items needed to safely evacuate. The actor is using a series of hashtags to help centralize the information he is distributing. Woods tags his messages with #CampFireJamesWoods for the Northern California fires and #SoCalFiresJamesWoods for the Southern fires, in addition to hashtags such as #WoosleyFire, #Malibu, #Chico and #Paradise to help narrow down locations.
oods adds #DisaterAnimals or #CampFirePets when his message is aimed to help lost or displaced animals and #GoodSamaritan to put a spotlight on anyone looking to offer shelter, food or supplied to a displaced person. The famed actor was one of the first celebrities to bring attention to the deadly fires and he has not slowed down. He has urged followers to foster pets, shared messages seeking volunteer veterinarians and even distributed information about local colleges impacted with cancelations.
“Please think about fostering #pets while evacuees are dealing with the crisis, Woods wrote. “Los Angeles #animal shelters are mostly filled, so follow my hashtags, and see if someone in need is someone you can help!”
In one tweet, Woods admitted he was typically “hesitant to recommend donation sites” because of “scammers,” but vouched for a list of places to contribute that he vetted. Woods has advised followers to leave water outside for wildlife that could be “parched by the fires,” leave window signs notifying first responders that you are ‘safe and gone” and instructed evacuees to make outgoing cell phone messages with updates to inform loved ones in case a battery dies.
When one misplaced person was deemed safe, Woods told his followers they are “literally saving lives.”
“This is so much more rewarding than arguing politics,” he added.
Woods’ efforts to helping people find missing loved ones became a Twitter moment that showcases the “Casino” actor’s attempt to reunite families by putting a spotlight on messages he has received with pleas for help. He has sent personalized messages describing dozens of people and animals who have been displaced.
Woods is an outspoken conservative who was recently locked out of his Twitter account over a tweet that was found to be in violation of the tech company’s rules. But the actor has put politics aside as the deadly fires rage across his state. Woods even enlisted his followers to help outspoken liberal activist Alyssa Milano, who was looking for a safe place to stash her horses.
Since the fires ignited, at least 31 people have been confirmed dead, over 90,000 acres have burned, officials have said. Officials have said it's still early to speculate on a cause of the blaze.
Fox News’ Travis Fedschun contributed to this report.
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