A weekend nor'easter knocked out about 1,000 blood donations across New York and New Jersey, the New York Blood Center (NYBC) said. The storm dumped nearly five inches of rain on Rye and canceled blood drives throughout the region.

NYBC is now asking residents to schedule appointments this week at its Rye donor center, 601 Midland Ave., or at community blood drives. Donors can book online at nybc.org or call 1-800-933-2566.

September was already running short before the storm hit. NYBC said the month is on track to be its most difficult for blood collections this year, with nearly 2,700 fewer donations than hospitals need, Patch reported. The storm widened that gap after a summer in which the center experienced multiple periods of critically low inventory.

"Now that the weather has passed, we need those who are able to come out this week and help us recover what was lost," Jeannie Mascolino, NYBC's vice president of operations, said in a statement Monday, Sept. 28.

Mascolino said blood collection stops almost immediately when severe weather hits, but hospital demand does not. NYBC said blood is needed daily for trauma care, surgeries, cancer treatment and childbirth complications, and the roughly 1,000 lost donations widened an already critical gap. Because blood has a limited shelf life, the center relies on a steady stream of donors to keep inventory available.

The Rye donor center sits on NYBC's 187,000-square-foot campus next to the Rye train station, at the junction of I-95 and I-287. The facility opened in June 2025 as the first single-site home for the organization's tri-state operations.

NYBC also noted that recent updates to FDA guidance may make some previously ineligible donors eligible.

Donors can give every 56 days.

No specific deadline was announced, but the center described the need as immediate. Residents who want to check eligibility or find a community drive can visit nybc.org or call 1-800-933-2566.

Upcoming community events: The Marshlands Conservancy in Rye hosts a free birding walk Saturday, Oct. 3. Rye Brook's curbside leaf collection begins Tuesday, Oct. 13.