Urgent Need for Blood as Tropical Storm Erika Nears, Officials Say

As Tropical Storm Erika continues on a path that puts most of Florida in its sights, the Tampa Bay area’s major blood supplier is putting out the call for help now.

“Currently our blood inventory to resupply hospitals is low for Type O positive and there is an urgent need for Type O negative and B negative blood,” Daniel Eberts, OneBlood’s spokesman, told Patch. “We are encouraging healthy people of all blood types who are age 16 and older and weigh at least 110 pounds to donate blood as soon as possible.”

Eberts said the need to supply now – before the storm arrives – is especially important.

“Building up our blood supply is an important part of hurricane preparedness to meet our local needs and to help other regions of Florida that may be impacted by storms,” he said. “Possible flooding and storm damage will impede the ability of our Big Red Buses and Donor Centers to function and our staff to get to work. At the same time, donors may not be able to reach a donation location, yet patients in our hospitals will continue to need lifesaving transfusions.”

See Also:

• Tropical Storm Erika Shifts Closer to Tampa Bay
• Hurricane Season: How to Prepare
• Tampa Bay ‘Ripe for Disaster,’ Hurricane Experts Say
• State of Emergency Declared Ahead of Tropical Storm Erika
• Tropical Storm Erika: Where to Turn for Local Information

OneBlood is a nonprofit agency that serves 213 hospital partners in Florida, Alabama and Southern Georgia. Its service area includes the Tampa Bay area, south and southeast Florida, the Orlando area, Pensacola, Tallahassee and other parts of the Sunshine State.

For a complete list of OneBlood Donor Centers in the Tampa Bay area, visit the organization’s website.

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