Residents of Southern Texas are rallying together to collect emergency blood donations followingTuesday’s deadly mass shootingat an elementary school.
Uvalde, Texas, is a small city of about 16,000 residents, approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio. As area hospitals care for survivors, they are already reporting a critical need for blood donations.
For more on the shooting massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Prior to Tuesday’s shooting, Texas was experiencing a dire blood shortage. South Texas Blood & Tissue, the primary blood bank serving Uvalde, hadpreviously reportedthat it needed 200 additional donations per day to restore the local blood supply.
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“In April the total blood inventory dropped to a 1 1/2-day supply — considerably less than the 7-day supply recommended for our area,” its site reads. “The supply of Type O blood, which is used in emergencies, is even more critical, at less than a day’s supply.”
Now the situation is more dire and all Texans — especially those with rare blood types — are urged to pitch in.
Anyone unable to make it to Uvalde on Wednesday can visit one of the organization’sother South Texas donation centersat a time that works for them, or stop intoUniversity Healthin San Antonio, which has donation room openings all week long.
In 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the U.S., surpassing motor vehicle crashes,according toTheNewEnglandJournalofMedicine.
source: people.com
