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For pictures from the crash into the Hudson River, click here.

(Charlotte, NC) — Pamela Jefsen knows all too well how the passengers aboard US Airways Flight #1549 felt Thursday night.

The CEO of the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross was involved in a similar crash 10 years ago in Maine. The commuter plane crashed shortly after takeoff due to ice; and fortunately, everyone survived.

“After being on both sides of a plane crash, I know the importance of having assistance available to passengers as well as their friends and families,” Jefsen said.

The local Red Cross chapter continues to extend help to those involved in the plane crash Thursday night.

A local phone number – 704.378.4620 – has been established for those aboard the plane as well as their families and friends to utilize should they need further assistance.

Chapter staff and volunteers were on site at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Thursday to provide counseling and support for the families and friends of the passengers aboard the plane.

Through an agreement between the National Transportation Safety Board and the Red Cross, following an aviation incident, the Red Cross is the lead mental health agency established to work with the families of the survivors at the airports where the flight originates and where the flight is due for arrival.
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The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation’s blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military members and their families. To find out more about the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross, call (704) 378.4620.