EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING > Blog > Immediate Emergency > Be Prepared Because Disasters Will Happen, Says ‘Miracle’ Pilot
Be Prepared Because Disasters Will Happen, Says ‘Miracle’ Pilot
The important thing is how people respond, ‘Sully’ tells Red Cross event attendees.
Paul Swiech, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill. | April 22, 2016
Survivors of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 with155 passengers and crew, including Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III, who piloted safe water landing 5 years ago, join with their rescuers in a toast marking the anniversary of the event known as the “miracle on the Hudson,” on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014 in New York. AP/Bebeto Mathews
(TNS) – Disasters happen. What matters is how people respond.
That was one message of American Red Cross Serving Central Illinois’ 23rd annual Evening of Stars on Thursday night.
Delivering that and other messages was featured speaker Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the pilot of the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
“What I hope people glean from his story is that disasters do happen but here was someone who was as prepared as he could be and he managed it,” said Lyn Hruska, Red Cross regional chief development officer.
“No matter how hard we wish disasters away, they will happen,” Hruska continued. “Captain Sullenberger used his education and training to save lives. So his message for us is to be as prepared as we can be and to use those skills when the time comes.”
Sullenberger spoke at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in uptown Normal during the largest Evening of Stars ever. About 1,000 people attended the event, which is Red Cross in Central Illinois’ largest fundraiser of the year.
Saying he grew up in an era when “striving for excellence was expected,” Sullenberger told his audience, “We must keep on learning, stretching, re-inventing” ourselves.
“We must continue to innovate,” he said.
Sullenberger piloted US Airways Flight 1549 on Jan. 15, 2009, to a successful, emergency water landing in New York City’s Hudson River after the plane’s engines lost thrust shortly after takeoff, which followed a collision with a flock of geese. The plane remained intact and everyone was rescued.
The incident and how he handled it brought him national fame, but he told the audience that many people contributed to the successful outcome such as his crew and the emergency responders. That is true in most emergency situations, he said.
“There are many heroes who go unnoticed,” he said.
Sullenberger told The Pantagraph in an interview several weeks ago that “Each of us has a responsibility to prepare ourselves. When we do, we can have good outcomes. We can even save lives.”
“Leaders aren’t born,” he said. “They are, in fact, made. We can learn to be better at what we do.”
“When we work together according to our core values, we can make a difference,” Sullenberger said.
Also speaking Thursday night was David Sanderson of Charlotte, N.C., a passenger on Flight 1549. Sanderson described his experiences as a passenger and with the Red Cross, which provided assistance after the emergency landing.
“It’s a night to celebrate heroes,” Hruska said. “There are heroes in any disaster. They are the people who step in instead of stepping away.”
Proceeds from Evening of Stars benefit Red Cross disaster relief, assistance for military families, collection of blood and blood products and health and safety education.
Hruska said she was confident that the event would exceed its goal of raising $200,000.
Follow Paul Swiech on Twitter: @pg_swiech
———
©2016 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.)
Visit The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.) at www.pantagraph.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.