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The death toll from the powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck western Colombia has risen to 132, with at least 570 people injured, according to the Colombian Association of Capital Cities. Officials say it is the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in the past decade.

Key Developments

Rising death toll: At least 132 people have died and 570 others have been injured. Officials warn that the numbers could increase as rescue operations continue.

Severe damage: At least 86 buildings have collapsed, while several other structures and critical infrastructure have been damaged.

Cali hit hard: At least 85 people have died in Cali, according to Mayor Alejandro Eder. Around 40 buildings have collapsed, and 188 people remain missing. Thirty-seven people have been rescued.

Hospital damaged: Parts of a hospital in Cali, including the pediatric and neonatal sections, collapsed, trapping patients beneath the rubble.

Rescue operations: Emergency crews and soldiers are working to search collapsed buildings and rescue survivors. Hundreds of troops have been deployed to assist with the response.

Pereira casualties: At least 60 deaths have been reported in Pereira. Sixteen people were also rescued after becoming trapped for six hours in an aerial cable-car system.

Emergency measures: The Colombian government has declared a national disaster, while a nighttime curfew was introduced in Cali to protect residents and support rescue operations.

Epicenter: The earthquake's epicenter was near San José del Palmar, in an underdeveloped region of western Colombia, roughly 150 miles west of Bogotá.

Wider impact: The earthquake was strongly felt in Bogotá, where residents evacuated homes and workplaces. Seven airports have suspended operations, and five capital cities remain under red alert.

International assistance: The United States has pledged $15.5 million to support shelter, food, protection and earthquake assessments. US officials are also assisting American tourists affected by the disaster.

The earthquake struck Colombia's coffee-growing region, a mountainous and economically important area. The region experienced another devastating earthquake in 1999, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

Rescue teams continue to search through the rubble as authorities assess the full extent of the destruction.

tl;dr: There's no evidence the interview that this was mentioned in even exists, no evidence the route of the cable has ever changed, and the whole story seems to originate from one dude's podcast.

Summer sees both a drop off in donations and, at least for our trauma center, a spike in traumas. Trauma centers across the US are in danger of running out of blood for our trauma patients TODAY, which is very scary but, unlike much of the other scary national news coming across our screens these days, is something you can help fix immediately and directly.

Blood donation is relatively easy and provides an immediate impact to people in your community -- or even farther! The coolest thing the Red Cross does is tell you where your donations end up. My last donation got shipped from Utah all the way to the University of Philadelphia. (Enjoy my B+ vibes, Philly.)

Also, you get snacks and sometimes gift cards and free swag. If you squeeze a visit in by July 31, you can get a free Fandango movie ticket. (They're doing Hello Kitty swag in September and you bet your ass I already have appointments.)

If you're new to donating, some tips:

Drink plenty of water the night before and before your appointment. The more water, the more plump your veins are and the faster your goes.

Women often get deferred because of low iron levels. Over-the-counter iron supplements a few days before a donation will help boost your count, as will eating iron rich foods. (Cheerios are always my go-to iron boosters.) Don't schedule donations when you're menstruating.

If you are deferred for low iron or vital signs issues, you can try again within 24 hours.

If you've had a tattoo or piercing in the last three months, you will be deferred until a full three months have passed.

Don't donate on an empty stomach. Dehydration and low blood sugar contribution to fainting and dizzy spells.

After donating, don't exercise for 24 hours. You'll likely notice a dip in your tolerance for a few days after a donation as your system adjusts.

If you don't like needles, look away when they poke you and don't look at the donation site. They usually cover the needle during the donation process.

The initial poke does hurt, but the rest of the donation should be painless. If you feel burning, stinging, or any other abnormal sensation from the entry site, tell a phlebotomist and they'll help you out.

If you're like me and you have difficult veins, you can still give! Being hydrated, doing arm curls, and having an electrolyte drink can help plump your veins up. Ask for the most experienced phlebotomist on the floor to draw your blood. They're less likely to dig around or miss on a difficult vein.

While the majority of blood donations have zero issues, bad donations do happen. Sometimes it's a bad draw, an equipment issue, or your body just not cooperating; it sucks and it's not fun, but you'll usually come out of it with a bruise and know how you can make your experience better. Please don't give up because of one bad experience.

Also, some good news: Type O positive is the most popular type of blood, and it's also the most common in the USA! If you don't know your blood type, there's a good chance you're O+. Even if you're not, your donation is still needed. Type AB is needed for plasma donations, for example.

Black ppl are encouraged to donate because they're most likely be able to best match the the antigen phenotype of the sickle cell patient, many of whom are also black.

Sickle cell patients require regular blood transfusions throughout their life, and with every transfusion there's a risk they develop antibodies which increasingly makes it difficult to get crossmatched blood.

By getting as phenotypically matched blood as possible, it lowers the risk of the patient developing antibodies. When it is not possible to give phenotypically matched blood, we're forced to compromise and cannot give fully phenotype matched blood which increases risk of developing antibodies.

The more ppl who donate, the more likely we won't have to do compromise like this.

Type AB plasma is universal plasma donor, similar to how type O is universal RBC donor.

Platelets are also crucial for major surgeries such as heart surgery as well as patients with mass blood lost.

Canada:

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Germany:

It’s one of those words I as a non-ENS am unsure about. Thank you for helping me gauge how to treat this word in written texts etc!!! ♥️

Explanation, if needed: