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Airbnb Hosts Are Offering Free Shelter to Hurricane Michael Refugees

Oct. 11, 2018
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2 min read
Parts Of South Carolina Affected By Tropical Storm Michael
Airbnb Hosts Are Offering Free Shelter to Hurricane Michael Refugees
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From tropical storm to devastating Category 4, Hurricane Michael has been causing destruction since its landfall in the Florida Panhandle. With the number of relief workers and people left displaced due to the severe conditions, Airbnb has reinstated its Open Homes program to those in need of shelter.

The program allows hosts to list properties for $0 on the Airbnb website in designated locations for a temporary period. For Hurricane Michael, the dates in which the free shelter is available are from Oct. 8 to Oct. 29, 2018. So far, more than 360 hosts have volunteered to open their homes to relief worked and displaced neighbors in need.

In September, Airbnb initiated the Open Homes program to help those displaced by Hurricane Florence. The program has been around since 2012, when Hurricane Sandy left people in the surrounding metropolitan areas displaced and in need of shelter. Luckily, more than 1,000 hosts stepped up. Since then, Airbnb's Open Homes, in collaboration with its hosts, have been housing and helping refugees all over the world.

"Often people believe it will not happen to them," said Kellie Bentz, senior manager of disaster response & relief at Open Homes. "Thinking through personal, family and business response plans are critical to being more prepared and resilient should something happen."

The free shelters are currently available in the Florida Panhandle/Alabama area and major cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa.

Image courtesy of Airbnb.

If you're in these affected areas and looking to volunteer your home on Airbnb, all you have to do is sign up for Airbnb, list your home and sign up your property here to get the $0 listing. If you're one of those in need of a place to stay, available homes can be found here.

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  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
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  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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