ORLANDO, FLORIDA — All eligible blood donors in Florida are being urged to donate now in advance of Hurricane Irma.
"We don't want to wait until the hurricane is here, it will be too late," says Susan Forbes with OneBlood. "So we have to have that blood supply on hand in advance."
OneBlood, the not-for-profit blood center serving Florida and much of the southeast, says the most critical time for blood donations is prior to any storm in order to sustain the blood supply during and immediately after the event.
OneBlood urges blood donations as Hurricane Irma looms. All blood types, platelet and plasma donations are needed. https://t.co/90dAoLNJ3V pic.twitter.com/7ykE8jCP5o
— OneBlood (@my1blood) September 5, 2017
(tweet)
Forbes says OneBlood Orlando has already been helping out victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas after their blood centers were unable to open because of damage and flooded streets. On Monday, the organization sent 100 units of blood to Puerto Rico as they await Irma.
"It's important that OneBlood is able to not only ensure blood supply locally but to be able to help elsewhere if needed."
While all blood types are needed, there is an increased need for O Negative and O Positive blood as well as platelet and plasma donations.
To find out where you can donate, visit oneblood.org.