Airbnb is leveraging its network of accommodations to provide some relief to Hurricane Sandy victims.
The program, which was announced on Twitter by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office, pairs those rendered homeless by Sandy with altruistic New Yorkers who are willing to house them for free. As of publication, there were around 120 such people whose rooms are displayed on a dedicated Sandy site.
Since these are personal residences, some New Yorkers have attempted to preempt any awkwardness by being upfront about their preferences. A user named Padraic with a room in Woodside, Queens, for instance, does not want any smokers and adds: "If you show up and are an OUTSIDE smoker I will be highly pissed! And then you will have to leave! So no no no no smoking."
Another user with a place on the Upper East Side would prefer the roomie smoke outside, but offered this heartfelt message:
"I am not looking for anything but to help out and looking for someone to respect my space and be honest. This Hurricane sucks and I just happened to be lucky so I am happy to offer a safe warm place to stay. I am laid back and consider myself decently funny if you can deal with a few bad jokes."