I never thought I would tell this story in a column, but my memory bank brought it back as a result of the heroic landing of US Airways flight into the Hudson River today and the response of New Yorkers, some of the greatest people in the world.

I was walking down Park Avenue in New York approaching an intersection, the period of time was somewhere in the 70′s.  A yellow cab came from a side street just before I was about to cross the street and slammed into a vehicle driving south on Park Avenue, hits the car broadside and the car flips over.  There were two women in the car.  Within minutes two employees ran from a posh resident hotel and pulled the women out of the car and brought them into the lobby of the hotel.  I was there, and the women were okay.

The thought of these two New Yorkers coming to the rescue of these two women and their rapid response I thought was remarkable.

Today a pilot within three minutes after take off from La Guardia Airport lost power in both engines, believed to be caused by flocks of Geese flying into both engines, landed in the Hudson River and all 150 passengers survived, thanks to the pilot’s skill and to the rescue efforts of New Yorkers who were on the scene within minutes of what is described as a landing on a runway, but it was in a river.

The pilot was Chesley B. Sullenbarger III, 57, of California, a former US Air Force fighter pilot.  He did his job and did it well. He had the presence within minutes to land in the only viable place to save lives on land and those  passengers on the plane, the Hudson River.  After a remarkable landing and before leaving the plane he walked the cabin twice to see that all passengers were off before he departed, the true definition of a Captain of the sea, and the air.

But this was not the end of the story;  it was New Yorkers of the 21st century that also came to the rescue, not too different than what they did in the 20th century.

Circle line cruises, ferries moving from NY to New Jersey, NY police boats, NY Fire Department, US Coast Guard were on the scene in minutes.

Why is this so remarkable?  It is remarkable because it is a miracle that such a potential catastrophic event was avoided by bravery, rapid response by the trained to do so, but also by ordinary citizens  responding to disasters, as I saw in the 70′s.

I told the Park Avenue story, because it was a different period of time.  The demographics in New York were much different then they are today.  But somehow the people, despite the  ethnicity change continues to come to the aid of their fellow human beings.

Living on a barrier reef on the West Coast of Florida, I guess I would rather be in New York if I were in a life threatening situation.  The people seem to know what to do.