Charlotteans open their homes to Irma evacuees

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As hotels and shelters fill up, some Charlotte residents are opening their homes to evacuees.

Channel 9 talked to one mother who is giving 15 people a place to stay.

One of the youngest evacuees is 9 years old.

Jamayah Delvalle had to evacuate Savannah, Georgia with her two dogs, her mom and her sister.

They ended up staying with a stranger, Jamie Kissel, in Charlotte's Mountain Island community.

Kissel wanted to do something to help, so she decided to open her home to evacuees.

The weary travelers are pouring into her home from Miami as well as the coast of Georgia and South Carolina.

"It's just hard to see people go through this. Little children and adults, not knowing what they're going back to," Kissel said.

Kissel's 11-year-old son is now sleeping in the corner of her bedroom to make room for the families who need help.

Her neighbors are also stepping up by donating air mattresses and meals.

The evacuees found Kissle's home with a simple online search.

They discovered Airbnb's disaster-relief program, which gives residents to a chance to offer their homes free of charge.

"Even though the main part of the hurricane is gone, they still may not be able to get back into their homes or they don't know what's left, so I think there is a big need for it," Kissel said.

Indeed, there is still a big need for more residents to turn complete strangers into something much more.

"We've been here right around 24 hours and I can't even say they're friends anymore, they're just like family," evacuee Desma Delvalle said.

If you want to become a host for evacuees or relief workers through Airbnb, visit this link to sign up.

Cox Media Group