If you're planning on purchasing balloons, you might want to be mindful of this. Unfortunately, we can all agree that things are pretty tough in our world right now. Prices have been increased on just about everything and it's still hard to get certain goods and products. I was doing some shopping recently in Dutchess County and I came across a sign outside of one of the stores I was going to go into to and it's something I've never seen before. It made me want to find out more about what's been going on in our area.

What did the sign say?

It said, "Due to the helium shortage we DO NOT ACCEPT any big balloon orders. We only inflate our own balloons, thank you". Oh no....and what?

Is there a helium shortage going on in the Hudson Valley?

According to Gas World.com, there has been a series of events that have caused a helium shortage on a national level. I won't bore you with all the details, but pretty much some plants that help produce helium have either been closed or they are not running at full capacity and this has been causing the shortages. Also helium was reportedly being used for MRI machines and of course COVID-19 did not help with any of this.

How long will the shortage last?

According to sources, there isn't a specific or direct answer for the question. However, it is predicted that the shortage is supposed to get better over the next few months and there is an "optimistic" view that it will keep improving. Phew...

What to do if you need balloons?

Whether it's for a birthday, graduation, wedding or something else, this time of year is big for balloon orders. If you find yourself in a panic about finding a place that can help you out or what to do, we have some resources for you.

If you see any more stores that have a helium shortage sign up, tell us more about it on the station app.

Since it's summer and we are talking about serious things, here are ways to keep your animals cool and animals that need urgent placement: