ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Hundreds of people hurt in the Las Vegas shooting will require days, weeks and even months of medical care. Now, blood donation centers across the country are asking for help.
At Virginia Blood Services in Salem, James Camper is doing his part to help victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. Camper's son lives in Las Vegas. Thankfully, he wasn't at the music festival, but Camper still felt compelled to give back.
"They were calling for blood in Las Vegas. My son works and lives out there. That's the first thing I did, was call and see if he was alright," said Camper.
Virginia Blood Services has already shipped hundreds of units of blood to it's sister centers in Las Vegas.
"Our people in the lab and in our hospital services, they work 24/7. So as soon as the need came in, we started shipping blood," said Wensday Tumulak, account manager for Virginia Blood Services.
More than 500 people were injured in the mass shooting, that means the need for blood donations is massive and not just momentary.
"There are so many injured in Las Vegas right now that this is not a short time need, this is going to be a long term need for those people who are having multiple surgeries and taking a long time to recover," said Tumulak.
The American Red Cross is on the ground in Las Vegas and has opened a support shelter for victims and their families. In Roanoke, Red Cross staff are encouraging everyone to donate and help keep the shelves stocked just in case.
"When a tragedy hits, the American people step up. It's wonderful that people want to give so always think of giving," said Jackie Grant, executive director for the American Red Cross in Roanoke.
County officials in Las Vegas have created a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $3.2 million. If you're interested in donating to that, click here.