Airbnb hosts offering Kilauea evacuees free stays

Tuesday, 21 May, 2018 0

Airbnb has activated its Disaster Response program for Hawaii’s Big Island, seeking free temporary housing from its community of hosts for displaced residents evacuated following the eruption of Kilauea.

The program will run through May 31 and is encouraging hosts in other parts of Hawaii County not affected by lava flows to open their homes to Lower Puna residents and relief workers.

The program has kicked in during several other natural disasters in recent years including Hurricane Mathew, California wildfires and the Louisiana floods.

So far the program has been triggered for more than 90 disaster responses globally with more than 16,000 nights donated.

Kellie Bentz, Airbnb’s head of Global Disaster Response and Relief said the company is seeking hosts ‘to aid in this effort by listing their available rooms or homes on the platform to help those who have been impacted and to relief workers offering their assistance on the ground.’

"Our thoughts continue to be with everyone impacted, and we thank the dedicated government and emergency response personnel who are keeping our communities safe," Bentz added.

More people were evacuated by helicopter at the weekend after new lava flows cut off 40 homes in another subdivision below the volcano.

So far 40 buildings and homes have been destroyed in the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens sub divisions in the past two weeks.

below social share icons

TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

City Cruises is a leading operator of sightseeing, dining and charter services operating in London, York and Poole. We offer...

IHG Hotels & Resorts: Redefining Hospitality Excellence IHG Hotels & Resorts is a globally renowned hospitality company that stands at...

Discover Sarawak Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far...

Located in the Mediterranean and connecting Asia and European continents that are separated by the famous Bosphorus, Türkiye is a...

The State of Michigan is blessed with the riches of unspoiled nature: the nation’s longest freshwater coastline, lakes that feel like...

Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading hotel operator. Its 93 properties span all major Thai destinations plus the Maldives,...

In 2019, Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours joined the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) family and formed Discova. With the...

The Mexico Tourism Board serves as the driving force behind Mexico’s global appeal, orchestrating targeted marketing campaigns to showcase the...

We are the UK’s leading Canada travel experts Canadian Affair Company Information Founded in 1995, Canadian Affair offers an...

At Wilderness Safaris we believe in creating life-changing journeys and have been doing so for over 39 years. Our purpose...

Philippine Airlines (PR), also known as PAL, is the Filipino flag carrier. The company started their operations in February 1941,...

Cunard is the operator of luxury cruise ships Queen Mary 2®, Queen Victoria® and Queen Elizabeth®. Renowned for impeccable White...

Virtuoso is the leading global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel, with more than 20,000 advisors. We...

We are a small-group adventure travel operator offering more than 750 tours in 100 countries, on all seven continents. Our...

ECOMMPAY is an international payment service provider and direct bank card acquirer, engineering bespoke payment solutions for clients worldwide. Our...