Woman Defends Rant About Vacation Plans After She Demands Refund Following Hurricane Helene Devastation

In a now-viral TikTok video, Chelsea, explains how she does not know if she can cancel her trip despite not knowing if there’s damage to the property

With the devastation from Hurricane Helene still unfolding in portions of North Carolina, those who’ve had vacation plans in the area are unsure of what to do.

One woman in particular is upset after being unable to get a refund for her mountain vacation rental that she booked through Airbnb despite the hurricane.

On TikTok, a woman named Chelsea, who goes by the username @stay_salty_2290, explains how she seemingly still owes money for her vacation rental despite not knowing if there’s damage to the property — or if it is even accessible. The North Carolina local says in her video that when she initially planned her trip, she was expecting a vacation, clearly not thinking about whether or not the property would ultimately be affected by a storm.

“Most of the time we’re just going to worry about what’s in our price range, and now we have a whole other s— on our plate,” she says on camera.

Chelsea goes on to explain how on Monday, Sept. 30, she spent an hour on the phone with Evolve, a property management company, trying to figure out next steps. “I don’t like going through rental companies, and this is a prime example of why,” she says.

Related: How to Help with Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts

According to Chelsea, the company told her they would have to get in touch with the rental property owner before making any decisions. However, Chelsea explains that this can be difficult, as the owners could live in the area and be stranded themselves, or live out of state and not know what’s going on due to limited power and cell service in the area.

She adds that she only has five days to cancel and receive a partial refund for the trip, which cost $2,500 for a week with her family of six.

“I understand completely cancellation policies and house rules. I do this for a living. But when a natural disaster out of everybody’s hands hits, I expect some sort of accommodation, some sort of communication, some sort of understanding,” she says.

“Not to get in your car, drive five hours from Eastern North Carolina to go to your vacation rental, mind you my parents are coming from Western Tennessee to Eastern Tennessee,” she adds. “Well, if you don’t know, you do now: the roads on I-40 are washed out at the state line.”

“What’s frustrating is that all they can tell me is, ‘We understand your concern,’ ” she continues. “Do you? What I do not like about this particular realtor company, Evolve, is that they are not hands-on … you talk to robots, you talk to recordings, you’re texting customer service. No one knows what the f— is going on. This is just infuriating to me.”

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Related: More Than 100 Dead After Hurricane Helene Ravages the South and 600 Remain Missing in 1 N.C. County: Officials

Chelsea, who is also a rental host herself, says that if and when a natural disaster hits, she would cancel all reservations and refund her guests completely. “Nine out of 10 times, you’re people aren’t going to want to come to where a natural disaster hit.”

Since posting, Chelsea’s video has gone viral, amassing more than 1.3 million views. After gaining such visibility, she took to TikTok to share a followup video to clarify some questions she received on her initial post. In the video, she explains how she was frustrated with the property management company that was handling the Airbnb, not airing complaints without consideration for what locals are experiencing post-storm.

“Am I aware that people have lost their lives? Absolutely. I’m I aware that roads are washed away, there’s no gas, there’s barely food, there’s a lot of devastation and that people are still looking for friends and family members? Absolutely. Does that break my heart? It sure does. I live in a costal town. We deal with hurricanes yearly.”

She continues, “I’m actually a very caring person and that’s why I found a displaced family and I’m letting them stay in one of my Airbnbs for an entire week for nothing.”

A rep for Airbnb told PEOPLE that the company announced on Oct. 1 that it’s activated its Major Disruptive Events Policy for severely impacted areas of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. This means hosts can cancel eligible stays in these areas without consequences, and guests who have an eligible booking in these areas can cancel for a refund.

PEOPLE reached out to Evolve for a comment and has not yet received a reply.

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