Airbnb offers free housing to residents displaced by Hurricane Dorian, disaster relief workers

Airbnb is offering free housing to displaced residents evacuating from the path of Hurricane Dorian and disaster relief workers heading toward the eastern seaboard.

The “Open Homes Program” includes more than 800  Airbnb hosts that have opened their doors in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

Hosts with locations in the southeastern United States will be offering free stays until Sept. 16.

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

The program was launched in 2012 as a response to Hurricane Sandy, the outlet noted.

Hurricane Dorian made landfall on Sunday as a Category 5 storm that ripped through The Bahamas. The Miami Herald reported Monday that the storm had weakened into a Category 4 storm as Floridians wait to see if it turns northward away from the Florida coast. 

The storm as already been attributed to the death to an 8-year-old boy in the Bahamas.