New York City officials and the New York Blood Center have urged residents to come forward and donate blood as extreme snow storms cancelled thousands of donations.
The blood center serves around 200 hospitals. The recent Winter Storm Juno, resulted in the cancelation of 3,000 scheduled blood donations in New Jersey and New York. Public and road transportation were closed in expectation of a severe storm.
Authorities reveal that this is one of the biggest donation losses after Hurricane Sandy, which struck in 2012.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York also issued a statement urging residents to donate blood.
"New York City's blood supply is experiencing a shortage due to cancellations related to inclement weather. I urge healthy New Yorkers to help us rebuild our blood bank and set aside less than one hour of their time to donate blood-it's not painful, you will get a free basic medical exam, and most importantly, you can help save many lives," says de Blasio.
On Monday, Jan. 26, New York authorities suspended all subway and rail over fears Juno may dump over two feet, or 60 centimeters (cms), of snow in the busy city. Many roads opened on Tuesday; however, majority of the commuters stayed back at home as transport services were still affected and re-opened only on Wednesday.
Andrea Cefarelli, who is the executive director of Donor Recruitment at New York Blood Center revealed that due to the anticipated storm the donor centers were closed that resulted in "zero blood drives."
Andrea urged people to take out just an hour and donate blood at their nearest blood drives.
About 2,000 blood donations are required per day in New Jersey and New York. People with O-negative blood, deemed as "universal donors" are particularly urged to donate blood.
One in every 7 hospital admissions needs blood transfusion. The hospitals should have regular supply of blood, which can save a person's life.
Visit New York Blood Center's website if you are a New Yorker and want to donate blood.
