Airbnb offers free lodging in NC to Hurricane Irma evacuees and relief workers

Airbnb is offering free places to stay in North Carolina for those fleeing Hurricane Irma and emergency relief workers, the company announced Sunday afternoon.

The company is well known for its alternative lodging provided by homeowners, but it also has a disaster relief program that allows Airbnb hosts to list their homes for free for when people are displaced.

Airbnb hosts in Chapel Hill, Durham, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Winston-Salem can now list their homes for free here if they wish to help evacuees, according to a statement from Airbnb.

Hosts can choose the length of time they wish to offer their homes for free and can do so until Sept. 28.

Irma evacuees can search here for places offered for free on Airbnb.

Airbnb offered free lodging in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas during Hurricane Harvey and will continue to do so in those states until Sept. 25.

Hosts in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida and in the Caribbean can also lists their homes for free for Irma evacuees. The catastrophic hurricane has prompted one of the largest evacuations in U.S. history, with 6 million people expected to flee from Florida.

Hurricane Irma shelters in NC

In North Carolina, N.C. Emergency Management, the American Red Cross and county managers opened shelters on Saturday and Sunday to evacuees and their pets:

Gaston County: Gaston County Resource Center 1303 Dallas-Cherryville Highway, Dallas, NC 28034

Guilford County: City of Greensboro Shelter, 2305 Soabar St., Greensboro, NC 27406

Henderson County: East Henderson High School 110 Upward Road, Hendersonville, NC 28726

Johnston County: Johnston County Industries 912 N. Brightleaf Blvd., Smithfield, NC

Mecklenburg County: J.M. Alexander Middle School 12010 Hambright Road, Huntersville, NC 28078

This story was originally published September 10, 2017 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Airbnb offers free lodging in NC to Hurricane Irma evacuees and relief workers."