In a sign of Los Angeles pulling together in the face of devastating wildfires that have taken lives, destroyed homes and displaced around 180,000 people, many travel-focused businesses are offering housing, transport and other support to those suffering.
Airbnb steps up
In one remarkable turnaround, Airbnb, the accommodation rental platform so-often criticised in destinations around the world for contributing to a housing shortage, is now opening up its properties by funding accommodation credits through a subsidiary non-profit it started up in 2020. Airbnb.org is a humanitarian branch of the business for those in crisis.
A collaboration with 211 LA, a not-for-profit that helps find essentials for those in need, is putting property owners who usually rent their places on Airbnb in touch with LA residents who have lost everything.
To take up the assistance, “displaced residents can complete a form with information including their full name; permanent address; total number of adults, children, and pets requiring shelter; and whether or not they are a first responder,” Condé Nast Traveler notes.
“The need is overwhelming,” Christoph Gorder, the Executive Director of Airbnb.org, told the magazine. “Thousands of people have applied for this program within the first few hours of it launching yesterday.”
The majority of those being assisted are people who usually live in the worst-affected areas such as residents who have either lost their homes or been forced to evacuate in the Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Sylmar areas.
Hotels open doors to displaced people and pets
Similarly, over 160 hotels across the City of Angels and Anaheim are offering discounted rooms for evacuees. A list of participating establishments, including those that accept pets, is available and updated in real-time by the LA tourism agency Discover Los Angeles.
Those being housed in this way are urged to ensure they keep all receipts and take digital photos so they can send them electronically to their home or travel insurance companies.
Uber and Lyft offer free rides to shelter
Meanwhile, in a city that, on a good day, takes around 2 hours and 20 minutes to drive across from north to south, ride-sharing disruptors such as Uber and Lyft are proposing to transport people to shelters at no charge. The offer applies to trips up to a maximum of $40 (€39) and two trips of up to $25 (€24) respectively.
Vrbo helps tourists out
And for visitors to LA who have lost their trips and may not be able to claim on insurance since there is no official guidance to avoid travel to the area, Vrbo, another online holiday rental marketplace, is helping out by refunding reservations in fire-affected areas.
