Sending positive to all being affected by Hurricane Sally.

Cathie19
Level 10
Darwin, Australia

Sending positive to all being affected by Hurricane Sally.

 

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I live in Darwin, in the Top End of Australia.  North Australia is expecting a big upcoming Wet Season, as we are currently on a La Nina weather alert (70%). 

 

So my heart goes out to my fellow hosts @Gina383  who are currently in the path of Hurricane Sally. 

So sending positive vibes to all being affected by Hurricane Sally.

 

I would like other hosts and guests to maybe send comments of support to our colleagues, known and unknown. Internet may be down for Clara, but phone data is still working in some areas. 

 

I would especially like to send BIG hugs, openly, to our @Clara116 , a regular contributor in our Community Centre forum, as well as the online social ZOOM sessions.

Some may remember Clara doing her cooking thing!

See link:

 https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Interests/Live-from-the-kitchen-let-s-cook-together/m-p/1314669#...

 

Her gorgeous Airbnb cottage is located in Pensacola, Florida, which has been severely hit by flooding. I have had contact and she says they are okay. Having prepared, lived and cleaned up after Cyclones (typhoons/ hurricanes), I know what that means..... Hard work before it arrives, anxiety and no sleep followed by more tiredness, wrecked gardens at the very least, more hard work than still a LOT of feeling low and very tired. That’s even without any household damage. That’s without the mental health also being bruised....... A sense of isolation,  compounded with Covid19 can really affect mental well-being, without the fright and flooding! 

 

So to all of you who experienced Sally’s very slow path, or still experiencing Sally’s rain and damage. Our hearts are with you..... x ❤️❤️❤️❤️💐💐💐💐💐🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻😘

 

 @Lizzie , @Stephanie (on leave), @Quincy@Nick , @Christine615 , @Katie , @Liv , @Lawrene0 , @Robin4   @Alexandra316,  @Robin4@Melodie-And-John0@Jessica-and-Henry0@Ann72@Kimberly29@Roberta2, @Gordon0, @Sandra126@Helen3,  @Marissa107@Wave-Autumn-Vine0@Suzanne302@Ann489@Yadira22@Huma0 @Fred13 @Helen3 @Inna22 , @Kelly149 , @Sarah977 , @Anonymous , @Helen427 , @Kath9 .

 

16 Replies 16
Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Please stay safe everyone! ❤️

Huma0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

What a challenging year it has been! It always amazes me though how so many hosts in this community manage to overcome the challenges with such grace and stoicism. 

 

To the hosts facing the hurricane, I hope you are all keeping safe and sound! Do let us know when you can.

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

Thanks for flagging this with us @Cathie19 Thinking of you and all the other hosts affected by hurricane Sally.

 

It does seem in recent year that the affects of climate change has led to increased flooding, earthquakes, tsunami’s and hurricanes- a wake up call for us all 😢😢

Lawrene0
Level 10
Florence, Canada

Thanks, @Cathie19 . And yes, @Clara116 and all dealing with hurricanes, fires and floods, stay safe!

Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Cathie19 @Helen3 it never ends does it? Floods, fires, disease... yet still the climate change naysayers (yes, the pandemic is intricately linked to climate change and the same causes of climate change). Sadly, this isn't all going to go away - it will just get worse and worse and worse unless we do something radical to change it. 

 

@Clara116  and all hosts affected by hurricanes, wildfires and COVID in the US, we are praying for you 🙏 And please, for the sake of all us, use your votes wisely.

 

 

Sally221
Level 10
Berkeley, CA

These days instead of from sea to shining sea it's from fire & choking smoke to torrential rains & floods in the U.S.A.  The only tiny, minuscule crumb of comfort is that this round of disaster happened before the elections- how hard does mother nature have to slap us before we get it? My heart is breaking for the future generations who will be contending with everything my own shortsighted one kicked down the road.

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

What a year! I do hope we won't look back in the future thinking how great 2020 was in comparison and that this was the worst to come. Thank you for bringing this to our attention @Cathie19 @  such a lovely gesture. From everyone in the team, we do hope you are all safe and sound. Please keep us updated @Cathie19 @Gina383 @Clara116  ❤️

FYI @Nick , my cyclone- hurricane season hasn’t yet begun, but it is on track to be an above average one! 

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Yes @Cathie19 of course you are right, I went to read about it after reading your post.

There is cyclon on the Mediterranean sea in the last couple of days believe it or not! Not as bad as the hurricanes you get on the open ocean but for that area that is, if not unprecedented, extremely unusual (there are a few "medicanes" as they are called but are a different scale and even those are very very rare).

 

So places that didn't have them are now beginning to experience them, and places that already did see them gradually growing in force. If that is not evidence of climate change I don't know what is. 

 

I experienced my first cyclon in the UK for the first time in Brighton a few years ago. Just in case you don't know it's a coastal city, south from London, all the way to the sea. But again, nothing like the ones you must endure.

 

 

 

Clara116
Level 10
Pensacola, FL

@Cathie19 @Kath9 @Lawrene0 @Sally221 @Nick @Lizzie 

Sweet Cathie, how kind to reach out and let me know you care and remember we are having a struggle and challenging days ahead. The message sent to others was so really kind and selfless....a human kindness we are seeing so little of these days. Thanks for restoring some of my weariness with this act. I remember how divine a random act of kindness is most all of us. 

We do not have internet and the phone service is spotty so I am doing what I can when I can. 

I am so grateful as we still have power which is truly wonderful...my home was built and owned by the head of the power company many years ago and he wired our home/street on the same grid as the hospital a short distance away and so we get power often before everyone, my neighbors around the corner are in the dark and all my family living a few miles away. A blessing for sure....the good part is these storms draw out goodness and kindness however with Covid 19 and the great divide here in our country it is very strange, and people are not reaching out so much....a man 20 yrs younger than my husband saw David out front hard at work and asked if he wanted help... David said wow yes if you want to help......great ........he has no trees down or damage.......he went inside...and never came over.  He has avoided looking at me as I work to clean up around my neighbors car and yard so she can get out if she needs to ..she's older and can't manage even with her trash cans...so we do it. It's what we are supposed to do. Our cottage is closed for now....but hopefully will be able to book by end of the month...or Nov. Our home is ok and didn't flood as many families and friends. One host in our community was on a porch and fell and broke ribs and was struggling to breathe.....she is from Texas and this pushed her to want out of here....she is struggling. 

I do as much work in the clean up as I can, but I sleep some and wake feeling like a truck ran over my whole body....I know it will not be forever and that thought helps. We will be fine. Thanks for your hugs and prayers....that helps me big time. Be well and be safe all of you.  Till next time. 

Hugs all,

Clara

Nick
Former Community Manager
Former Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

Thank you for the update @Clara116, glad to hear everything with you and the house is well.

 

I can't believe some people like the neighbour you just described. How can they not feel shame and be alright acting this way (and way worse in other cases)? How do you ask someone if they need help without anyone forcing you to do so, and when they say yes you just go in, close your door behind you and feel good about yourself? Beats me every time...

 

On the other hand, people like you restore my faith in humanity. Hope you stay well and strong through this ❤️ 

 

 

Gina383
Level 2
Walden, TN

Thank you for all well wishes.  But I will tell you that it is a different story with Airbnb.  Fortunately, our condo was spared any damage, but that was not the case for property and infrastructure around us.  We were able to reach our place because we are residents and have the proper hurricane return passes.  However, we have no power, no water, we had to be escorted through down power lines and flood water.  There is a curfew and our road in is closed (for general entry) for 10 days and we have been told not to expect power for the next two weeks.

 

With all that, Airbnb will not let me cancel my guests for the next several weeks because they "do not find it to be extenuating circumstances".  I have spent two days simply trying to get two cancellations in (I get one done, and then I have to start over).  This has been a very frustrating "battle" at a time when we have much more to do than try to do the correct, and obvious thing to do.

 

I am having future guests contact me and I sound like some kind of scam artist because I am telling them they have to wait to let me cancel so they do not lose their deposit.

 

We have enjoyed the Airbnb experience in the past and do now wish to cause any bad attention, but I am ready to contact the local news stations and see if they can get any where with Airbnb.

@Catherine-Powell , I’m unsure if this scenario and circumstance has been considered, but there must be more than @Gina383  & @Clara116 with issues.

 

🙂

Cathie

Clara116
Level 10
Pensacola, FL

@Cathie19 @Catherine-Powell 

And all other friends ands hosts

How right you are Cathie the hi hosts community in Pensacola is very frustrated with airbnb customer service. They are demanding hosts to send proof of damage in an effort to cancel and hosts busy trying to bail out water in their Airbnb s  and homes and survive this awful hurricane aftermath and to have to be on hold waiting for Airbnb is ridiculous and then to be told to send proof....many don't have electricity, internet and are in 6 ft of water and don't have time, power or stamina to do all that. I tried calling Airbnb for other hosts to just get one clear message and after 30 min's wait....I was almost out of battery on my phone. I have up and had to report to the struggling hosts that I would continue to try and help when I could. 

One host with 4 properties is in france at the funeral of a relative and her places were flooded and she was trying to take care and her last message to the community and me was " Airbnb is awful" and I hated that for  her having all the struggling with loss death, flooding and unfortunately Airbnb made things worse instead of helping her out. Several others have asked me what to do and I hate it that I can't promise them that it's ok to cancel that they will not be penalized, will not superhost status, because seems CS customer is not giving them any comfort..... asking for proof of damage before they will cancel and refund the guests. Crazy....we are all exhausted and trust all of us....no power, no internet and flooding and weeks of cleanup seems anyone watching what happened to all of us would understand.

Catherine Powell and Tara Bunch I hope you can help out the pensacola hosts. Your CS can lighten up the burdens....it's not a host asking for damages after stained sheets. This is life altering occurances for many. Please if you can send a word of hope...

We are waiting patiently.

Thanks and blessings all, Clara