Airbnb, FEMA join forces to connect kind-hearted hosts with victims of hurricanes, other disasters

Airbnb has announced that it will be working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its Ready campaign to provide temporary housing for those who have been displaced by hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes or other national disasters. The accommodation site will be sending information about hurricane preparedness to more than 100,000 of its registered hosts who live in regions that are prone to that particular form of severe weather, including locations in Florida, Louisiana, the Gulf Coast and along the Eastern Seaboard.

The information Airbnb provides will guide the hosts to Ready.gov, a PSA-heavy website where they can find information related to understanding weather warnings, building an emergency supply kit and preparing for hurricanes (sample tip: "Reinforce for wind, elevate for water"). By educating its hosts, Airbnb hopes to further expand its Disaster Response Program, which allows those homeowners or renters to offer their listed spaces for free to those who have been affected by the weather or to relief workers who are in the area to provide assistance.

Airbnb and its hosts have literally opened their doors to hurricane victims before. In the days that immediately followed Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, more than 1,400 hosts in New York allowed those affected by the disaster to stay with them for free, or they simply invited them in for meals. Shortly afterward, Airbnb officially launched its Disaster Response Initiative, which has since connected kind-hearted hosts with stranded locals in more than seven countries.