After Hurricane Helene's remnants made their way through the state, the Kentucky Blood Center is in need of donations. Officials said the weather led to a large number of blood drive cancellations that weekend.
The KBC estimates they lost 130 units of blood due to the storm. It’s an amount large enough for nearly 400 people who may be in need.
Eric Lindsey is the director of media and branding for the KBC. He said O- blood is currently in critical supply.
“That's the universal blood type that, God forbid, you end up in the hospital, and medical officials need to take immediate action, they don't know your blood type. That is generally the type that you're going to get. When we say critical, what that essentially means is that our supply here at KBC, that supplies 70 plus hospitals, that there's less than half a day's supply of it. So, we're really in need of that,” said Lindsey.
Lindsey added the hurricane was a reminder that you can never forecast disruptions in the blood supply.
“Obviously, the hurricane that went through was not something that we see every week, every month. But you know, we do know that whether it's the hurricane season or the winter season that's coming up, disruptions do happen and that's why we are so adamant when we tell folks that, ‘Hey, we need donors daily because the need for blood, that doesn't stop’,” said Lindsey.
Donations to the KBC stay in the Commonwealth, unless in the event of an emergency. The organization is on standby to supply blood to other states if a natural disaster was to occur. Donation scheduling can be done online on the KBC website.