In the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in American history at an Orlando club, there are a few ways people in Atlanta can help.
Donate Blood
The first and most important is to donate blood. If you have O negative, O positive or AB plasma, your blood is especially needed. Donors should be healthy people age 16 and up who weigh at least 110 pounds, according to a representative of OneBlood.
A Red Cross representative said blood donated in the Atlanta area would be directed wherever hospitals needed it, which could include Orlando.
Kristen Stancil, another Red Cross representative, said the shooting was a special situation.
"While we do not typically serve hospitals in the Orlando area, the Red Cross is providing a small number of blood products to support Florida hospitals in response to the shooting, and we stand ready to provide additional blood and blood products as needed," Stancil said.
To donate on a Sunday, you'll have to leave soon for a location in Alpharetta, Duluth, Midtown or Roswell. These locations close at 2 p.m. Eastern. A worker at the Roswell center said they have already received a higher number of donations than usual.
You can visit a number of other Red Cross locations around the city, including one at 1955 Monroe Drive NE and one at 53 Gordon Plaza SW. Here's a list of all the blood drives happening in the next 14 days.
Donate to the victims
Equality Florida, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights, has set up a GoFundMe page collecting contributions for the victims. As of this writing, they have collected more than $65,000.
Support Pulse Orlando
The official Facebook page from the club that was attacked asked for everyone's thoughts and prayers after the attack.
Point families in the right direction
If you know someone connected to a person who could have been a victim of the Orlando attack, point them to this list of victims' names the city has released.
About the Author