Airbnb Offering Free Shelter for Evacuees

Airbnb hosts are allowing people who have evacuated their homes because of Hurricane Dorian to stay in their lodgings for free, the Miami Herald reports.

More than 800 hosts have voluntarily entered the company's "Open Homes Program," welcoming displaced people in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and North and South Carolina. Listings are available on Airbnb's website.

"Airbnb's Open Homes Program continues to be activated for those affected by Hurricane Dorian across the southeast U.S. region," Kellie Bentz, head of global disaster response and relief for Airbnb, told the Herald. "We encourage hosts to open up their homes, and those who need housing to take advantage of the program."

The company first began this program in the wake of 2012's Hurricane Sandy, a Category 3 storm at its peak storm. Hurricane Dorian began approaching Florida on Monday after hitting the Bahamas over the weekend, and weakening from a Category 5 storm to a Category 4. It has caused one death so far, an 8-year-old boy on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.

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