Airbnb has announced a partnership with the cities of San Francisco and Portland as part of an initiative to help communities prepare and respond to emergencies.
The initiative is part of the White House Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery Initiative Demo Day, which takes place today after a speech from President Obama. Other companies, including Appallicious, will also be presenting methods and tools for communities to use to prepare for disasters.
Airbnb signed two Memorandums of Understanding, one with the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and the other with the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management.
The agreements state that Airbnb will:
- Identify hosts who are willing to help displaced people in the event of an emergency
- Give these hosts emergency preparedness educational materials so they can be ready for most emergencies
- Use Airbnb’s technology to notify hosts and guests about hazardous incidents
- Help with community emergency response trainings so that the Airbnb hosts are knowledgeable about their neighborhoods
This isn’t Airbnb’s first venture into providing space during emergencies. In 2013, the company created a disaster response initiative, where hosts can provide space for people at little or no cost during a disaster.