Blood bank preparedness for hurricanes and flooding: A Florida Blood Center's experiences and perspectives

Hurricanes and flooding pose serious challenges to the stability of the blood supply, particularly in vulnerable regions such as Florida. We aimed to describe and evaluate the preparedness, response and recovery strategies of a large blood centre over the past decade, with a focus on Hurricane Irma (2017). Drawing on the centre's Business Continuity Plan, after-event reports and disaster response data, we examined how operations were disrupted and how the blood supply was maintained under extreme conditions. Combined, these storms resulted in tens of millions of dollars in losses through cancelled blood drives, damage to facilities, interruptions in operations and widespread breakdowns in communications, logistics and supply chains. At the same time, emergency coordination with hospitals, community partners and public agencies helped sustain blood availability when it was most needed. The experience with Hurricane Irma illustrates the complexity of maintaining resilience during large-scale disasters and highlights both the strengths and the vulnerabilities of existing preparedness measures. Over the decade, lessons learned from these events have been integrated into the centre's planning, leading to continuous improvements and a more robust framework for future emergencies. Yet critical gaps remain that will require new resources, stronger interorganizational networks, expanded research and ongoing data analysis to close. As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of hurricanes, the urgency of addressing these vulnerabilities grows. Strengthening preparedness and resilience will be essential to safeguard the blood supply against the storms yet to come.