Due to the extreme heat, the American Red Cross faces an emergency blood shortage.

Since July 1, the national blood supply has fallen by more than 25%. Jayce Eustice (EW-stice), Regional Communication Manager for the Red Cross, says the Red Cross is short by about 19 thousand donations.

According to Eustice (EW-stice), the Red Cross needs type O blood donations. Because Type O blood inventory is so low, distributions of the blood type are reduced compared to what hospitals count on.

For those wishing to make a donation, visit Red Cross Blood dot-org.