Help eliminate the blood shortage, Join the International Blood Registry.
After Storm Isaac brought heavy rain and winds off Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Thursday, the storm is now heading to Haiti and Dominican Republic.
Isaac unleashed heavy rain across eastern and southern Puerto Rico and produced waves as high as 10 feet in the Caribbean as it moved through the region. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Isaac was centered about 190 miles south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, on Thursday evening and was moving westward at 16 miles per hour.
Storm Isaac in Haiti and Dominican Republic
NHC said the storm could become a hurricane on Friday as it heads to Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and Dominican Republic, and is expected to bring between 8-12 inches of rain over parts of the islands. This poses a significant threat to Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, which is highly prone to flooding and mudslides.
Prime Minister of Haiti, Laurent Lamothe, advised people to avoid crossing rivers and should ask overseas relatives to wire money so they can prepare for foods and water. The government also has set aside about $50,000 in emergency funds and prepared buses and 32 boats on standby for evacuations. Haiti still has about 350,000 people residing in tents or makeshift shelters after a tragic earthquake shook their grounds and killed 316,000 people in 2010.
Meanwhile, authorities in the Dominican Republic started evacuating people who live on the banks of streams, rivers and places vulnerable to landslides.
Isaac is forecast to strengthen again near Florida on Monday to a Category 1 hurricane but NHC said Isaac’s threat to Florida and other portions of the Gulf Coast is still uncertain.
We have seen storms invade some of the countries around the world. Storm warnings are given ahead of time so people and government will have ample time to prepare for natural calamities. But food and water supplies should not just be our priorities when disasters attack; we should also have sufficient blood supply at hospitals nearby.
Give Blood ahead of time to prevent blood shortage
Having enough blood supply at local hospitals and blood banks is very important because we may never know if someone would need blood when natural calamities strike. There’s a string of tropical storms that hitting countries lately and if we do not give blood ahead of time, there’s a big possibility of blood supplies scarcity in hospitals and lots of lives may be compromised. This is the scene that we are trying to avoid.
We encourage you to give blood ASAP in blood donation centers in your place to help prevent blood shortage. So in case someone needs it, there is available blood supply, anytime, anywhere – whatever the season and weather.
Help eliminate the blood shortage, Join the International Blood Registry.