Blood collection agencies have declared an emergency blood shortage at a critical time — when outdoor activity rises. “We need more blood right now to get us through what we call the doldrums,” said Michael Becker, LifeSouth Community Blood Centers’ community development coordinator for Georgia. “Once we hit mid-August, we should be in good shape, because that’s when we have people coming back from vacation and students, who are very good donors, are going back to school,” he said.