Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional death for children in the 5 to 14 age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of people donating blood has dropped by 40% over the last two decades, according to the American Red Cross.

Factors out of most people’s reach have caused everything from high gas prices to shortages of products like baby formula and tampons. But there is another shortage that we can do something about: it’s the supply of blood that hospitals and their patients depend on daily. 

The U.S. is experiencing a “national blood crisis” during what the American Red Cross says is the worst blood shortage in over a decade. Winter weather, a COVID-19 surge and limited volunteers are seen as the major causes.

Coronavirus-related shutdowns of businesses, schools and community organizations has led to massive cancellations of blood drives, leading to a nearly 60% drop in collections, according to the Illinois Coalition of Community Blood Centers.

For days, parts of Texas have been slammed by massive rain and flooding caused by Harvey. A look at recovery efforts for the short and long term.

“Blood donations are being distributed to hospitals as fast as donations are coming in, which could lead to delays in patient care,” said Laurie Nehring of the American Red Cross. “We are doing everything we can to prevent that from happening.”