JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Here's something new to add to your hurricane preparedness list - Workers at First Coast blood donation centers urge you to give blood early on this hurricane season.
Wednesday is the first official day of the hurricane season and LifeSouth Community Blood Centers are ready for your donation.
"The time that you would want blood is before the emergency actually happens," said James Skahn, outreach coordinator with LifeSouth.
When you donate at LifeSouth, your blood will go to help someone on the First Coast. Skahn says LifeSouth provides blood to 70% of hospital beds in Northeast Florida.
"We teeter between emergency and critical need for blood, in particular O, but all types, really often," said Skahn. "I can't stress enough how constant that issue is for Jacksonville in particular."
Officials say one donation can save up to three people. Someone needs blood every two seconds, according to American Red Cross.
"Regardless of an emergency, we really don't have enough people that donate regularly in this city," said Skahn.
The Blood Emergency Response Corps was created last year in response to the national blood supply deficit because of COVID-19. This coalition of blood donation centers will help centers get blood when there's a large-scale crisis.
Skahn says donating blood should be on everyone's hurricane preparedness list.
"No matter what walk of life you come from, it's a bipartisan issue," he said. "Everyone has blood and everyone can recognize the need for that to be in our hospitals and available in the event of not just traumas and emergencies, but we use it to treat patients with leukemia."
Skahn also encourages individuals and companies to host blood drives.
World Blood Donor Day is June 14 and there will be a blood drive at UF Health from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 665 South 8th Street.
A blood drive for World Sickle Cell Day and Juneteenth will be held on June 18 at at MOSH from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.