OneBlood Urges Blood Donations Before Hurricane Irma Arrives

(Orlando, Florida September 7, 2017)  As Hurricane Irma moves closer to Florida, OneBlood, the local not-for-profit blood center serving Florida and the majority of the Southeast, is urging all eligible blood donors to donate now, before Irma potentially impacts its service area.

As of Thursday, September 7^th all OneBlood donor centers and Big Red Buses remain operational.  Now is the time to be donating. 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.

Hurricanes have the potential to disrupt the blood supply for several days.  This is why it is important that additional blood is available before the storm arrives.

In order to ensure a ready blood supply OneBlood is urging all eligible blood donors to donate now.  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.   

OneBlood encourages all eligible donors to make blood donation part of their storm preparations and visit a donor center or Big Red Bus as soon as possible. For a list of OneBlood locations visit www.oneblood.org.

Make an appointment now!

For more information on Hurricane Irma, please refer to the National Hurricane Center. 

OneBlood's Closures (effective 1:00 PM 09/08/17)

Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. Photo ID is required. To learn more about the importance of blood donation and how donors can target the power of their blood type visit oneblood.org. All donors receive a wellness checkup of blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron count, including a cholesterol screening, plus a surprise gift.

One of three people will need blood in their lifetime. Blood that is donated today will likely be transfused within two to three days. The turn-around is that fast, the need is constant.