As Hurricane Helene barreled toward the Florida Panhandle last week, residents of Tallahassee were urged to evacuate due to the impending arrival of what was forecasted to be a Category 4 storm.
With wind speeds expected to reach up to 120 mph, fear and panic spread across the city while residents of coastal communities also came to Tallahassee to be safe.
However, for many families, evacuating wasn’t as simple as just packing up and leaving. Local hotels, which became an essential option for shelter, reportedly raised their prices to over $300 a night, making safe refuge a financial burden for many.
The sudden spike in hotel rates during a region-wide emergency caught locals off guard. Many were left frustrated, questioning why prices were increased in the face of an urgent evacuation rather than remaining affordable for those in need.
“It felt like we were being taken advantage of,” said Tallahassee resident Priska Bienvenue, who sought shelter at a hotel but ended up staying with a friend instead after learning of the inflated prices.
In response to these complaints, some hotel managers claim that the price increases were the result of high demand and standard pricing algorithms used by hotel chains, rather than a deliberate effort to profit from the storm.
“We understand the frustration, but the rates were automatically adjusted due to the high volume of bookings during the evacuation,” explained a manager at a local hotel who requested that their name not be used. “It’s just how the system works when there’s increased demand.”
However, for many evacuees, this explanation fell short. Families already burdened by the cost of preparing for the storm felt abandoned by businesses that could have been offering assistance in a time of crisis, rather than treating the situation as a business opportunity.
With hotels out of reach for many, locals sought alternatives like staying with friends or family, but not everyone was so lucky.
“We were told to leave the city, but where were we supposed to go if we couldn’t afford $300 a night?” said Alicia Ramirez, a mother of two who ultimately decided to ride out the storm in her home despite concerns about safety.
Ramirez’s story is one of many from families across Tallahassee who felt abandoned by the very businesses they turned to for refuge. The experience highlights the larger issue of affordability during emergencies, especially for working-class residents who simply cannot afford to pay premium prices for basic safety.
As Tallahassee begins to recover from Hurricane Helene, questions linger about how the city’s most vulnerable residents will be protected during future emergencies. While hotels and businesses play a crucial role in providing shelter, the response to the recent storm has sparked discussions about the need for better regulations and oversight to ensure that price gouging is prevented before the next disaster strikes.