KAILUA-KONA — As the number of evacuated residents in Puna mounts due to the increased activity of Kilauea Volcano, so does the need for helping hands and open doors.
Reacting to that reality, Airbnb announced Tuesday afternoon it would extend its Disaster Response Program islandwide, which implores Hawaii Island hosts to offer their listings free of charge to displaced residents and visiting relief workers through the end of May.
Formerly, the online vacation rental giant had focused its outreach efforts to hosts living in the more immediate areas of the Puna District and Hilo, where most victims and relief workers would presumably wish to stay, explained Shane Peters, president of Peters Communications, which handles public relations for Airbnb throughout Hawaii.
“We want to ensure those who are affected and need shelter are aware of the program and the expanded areas of activation, as well as spread the word to those who have the capability to open their homes,” read a press release the company issued Tuesday afternoon.
“Airbnb is encouraging hosts across Hawaii Island to consider opening their (doors) and providing free temporary accommodations to those in need if they have the capacity to do so,” the release continued.
Because of an existing relationship with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, a subdivision of the state Department of Defense, Airbnb had secured space in 16 listings and housed more than 40 relief workers through its outreach before officially announcing the implementation of the Disaster Response Program last week, Peters said.
He couldn’t provide participation numbers as of press time Tuesday but said the level of inquiry in the program had spiked enough over the previous days to indicate that an islandwide initiative was warranted.
Those interested in participating can do so by visiting https://www.airbnb.com/welcome/evacuees/bigisland or clicking here.