Hawaii Kona Storms

A pet-friendly refuge after floods

Maile and Kai keep their family together through Hawai’i’s worst flooding event in twenty years— paws and all.

Maile and her three dogs sitting on the couch in their Airbnb.org stay.

“The water took everything.”

- Maile, Airbnb.org guest

Shortly after midnight on March 20, 2026 Maile and Kai woke up in the middle of a storm. They got out of bed to move their vehicles to higher ground, not knowing they had less than 30 minutes to pack up what they could of their lives and flee.

“We only had about 10 minutes to get out.”

- Maile, Airbnb.org guest

A woman with a yellow hibiscus flower in her hair leans over a wooden porch railing, showing the water level on a lattice wall

Keeping the pack togetherThe water came fast. The moment they realized it wasn’t going to stop, Maile and Kai rushed to evacuate with their beloved “wolfpack”—as Maile affectionately refers to the couple’s five dogs: Blackie, Tiny, Noelle, Sassy and Choncho. Leaving without them wasn’t an option.“We grabbed the dogs before we even situated a bag of clothes. The dogs were the first priority.” - KaiBy the time Maile and Kai were able to get themselves loaded into a vehicle with all five dogs, the floodwaters were level with the hood of their truck, and the current was so strong it pushed them sideways. Against all odds, the engine held out long enough for Kai and Maile to push through the flood to safer roads and more uncertainty.

A temporary home to rest their heads… and pawsIn the aftermath of the storm, governor Josh Green would describe this event as the most serious flooding in Hawai’i since 2004. When they returned to their home in Haleʻiwa the next day, Maile and Kai found that their house had been flooded by several feet of water. The damage was substantial, and devastating.

A woman stands in a home, wooden studs exposed where walls once stood, evidence of after storm damage

Maile and Kai leaned on their community for support. Unable to stay in their home, the couple relied on family and friends to keep a roof over their heads and help care for their animals. Eventually, they found some privacy and relief through Airbnb.org. They booked a free stay that made it possible for them to keep their family together, safe, and dry. “It felt great knowing that we don't have to choose between safety and the dogs because we got it both, right? That's an awesome feeling to be able to have them, our whole family with us.” - Kai

A man and woman sit together on a bed, smiling as two dogs, one brown and one black, climb up to join them

Out of respect for their host, Maile and Kai opted only to take three of their five dogs to their Airbnb.org stay. Two members of their little wolfpack were cared for by close friends.

The value of pet-friendly staysFor Maile, being able to keep their dogs close, whether at their Airbnb.org stay or with family, felt essential to begin the process of healing after the trauma of making it through the storm. “It was a blessing to have this stay. If I was ever separated from my dogs, it would scar me. I don't think I could ever have them separated from me in a way.” - Maile

A man and woman sit together on porch steps surrounded by three dogs, one small and shaggy, one brindle, and one tan chihuahua, with a damaged home behind them.

Thanks to the support of generous donors and hosts, Airbnb.org offers pet-friendly emergency housing that keeps families whole during natural disasters and other crises. Families like Maile and Kai’s.Roughly 5,500 people were told to evacuate from O’ahu’s north shore in the wake of March’s winter storms. Airbnb.org provided a combined total of 597 nights of free emergency housing to more than 220 guests“Airbnb.org helped a lot of people in our community that we know that lost their homes.” - Kai