The American Red Cross has issued an urgent appeal for blood donors.
Donations to the Red Cross are down ten percent across the country in June, and officials with the agency say the current blood supply is half the level it was last year when it issued a similar plea.
Local Red Cross spokesman Dan Fox says the extreme heat keeps potential donors away. He says people tend to give when natural disasters strike, even though the need is year-round.
"They think of tornadoes, they think of hurricanes and earthquakes," he said. "And while those disasters can and do have an effect on the blood supply, it's the personal disasters - the ones that happen every day - that can really have an impact on the supply."
Fox says the agency needs all blood types. To find a local donation site, click here.
