Columbus area Red Cross needs blood donors

Area residents who are searching for ways to extend a hand to Hurricane Harvey victims and to the Floridians in the path of Hurricane Irma might consider donating blood.

Adelaide Kirk of the American Red Cross of West Central Georgia said that the shortages usually faced at the end of summer are now colliding with the impact of the two major storms.

Schools and universities are among the largest donation sites, Kirk said, so summer donations always slow down. But with centers closed in the Houston metropolitan area and beyond, and blood drives canceled in Florida as they prepare for Hurricane Irma, donors are needed throughout the Southeast.

The American Red Cross biomedical services teams stay in direct contact with hospitals and medical centers, Kirk said, so the supply of blood products are pre-positioned before storms hit. But without continued donations during a crisis following such natural disasters as Harvey and Irma, those supplies run low.

To find a blood drive in your area, or to visit the Blood Donations Center in Columbus, call 706-317-3529. On Fort Benning, call 706-545-5194.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Columbus area Red Cross needs blood donors."