By Michelle Bliss
Wilmington, NC – Cape Fear Red Cross officials are urging residents to help replenish the blood supply.
The fall is always a time of replenishment for blood banks after slow summers when schools aren't in session to host blood drives and regular donors may be out of town on vacation.
But Cape Fear Red Cross Spokesperson Barry Hooker says that this year, weather-related disruptions like Hurricane Irene hit right at the end of those difficult summer months when the blood supply was already low.
Hooker says that nationally, type O positive, O negative, and AB plasma inventories have been especially affected. Thousands of donations are needed every day to help accident victims, cancer patients, and children with blood disorders.
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