Disaster services volunteers with the Vermont and New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross have responded to people in need at a rate 20 percent higher this year than last.

Gov. Peter Shumlin is joining with American Red Cross officials to announce new grant funding aimed at helping its Vermont-New Hampshire chapter meet the needs of disabled clients.

The Red Cross says there's a critical shortage of blood around the country. The organization says summer is traditionally a slow time for blood donations, and this year, in particular, has been a struggle.

Volunteer organizations and emergency management say they've learned a number of lessons from this spring's flooding and have found a number of ways to improve their response to future disasters.

Emergency management officials and volunteer organizations are assessing their response to the unprecedented flooding which destroyed property and displaced residents in numerous towns this spring.

This year the Red Cross has dealt with an unusually high number of incidents, including the Brooks House fire in downtown Brattleboro, and the ongoing flooding in Lake Champlain. 

Officials with the Vermont and New Hampshire Valley Red Cross are hoping a benefit concert this weekend will help make up for a budget shortfall.

The Burlington Fire Department says smoking materials that were improperly disposed of started a fire at a condominium building that displaced 40 people.

The local Red Cross says its disaster action teams have been called into service 30 percent more often this winter than last.

The American Red Cross says its January blood supply has dropped dramatically - the first time it's seen such a drop in a decade.

The Red Cross frequently experiences a dropoff in people donating blood in late summer because regular donors are on vacation.