A US coast guard is being praised as an ‘American hero’ after he helped save 165 people from the Texas flood in his first-ever rescue mission.
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, 26, was called out to Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp that was housing 750 girls when the catastrophic flooding hit Central Texas on July 4.
Upon arrival, Ruskan became the sole coordinator on site, directing the entire rescue operation and coordinating triage under extreme conditions.
The rescue swimmer told The New York Times that his team took off on a helicopter from Corpus Christi early on Friday to reach the camp in the San Antonio area.
What should have taken an hour turned into six as the teams navigated their way through the torrential rain and low visibility.
Once on the ground, Ruskan and his team were in a race against time to get as many people out before nightfall, working with 12 rescue helicopters to evacuate about 200 people.
Ruskan decided to stay on the ground to make more room in the helicopters, direct survivors to safety and provide emotional support.
‘I had a job to do,’ Ruskan said. ‘All these people are looking at you terrified with a 1,000-yard stare. They want some sort of comfort, someone to save them.’
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, 26, is being praised as a hero after he helped save 165 people from an all-girls summer camp in the flooding in Texas
A view inside of a cabin at Camp Mystic, the site of where at least 20 girls went missing after flash flooding
Raskan was the sole triage coordinator at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp that was housing 750 girls when the catastrophic flooding hit
Ruskan ultimately helped lead 165 people to safety in what was his first-ever mission.
Ruska, a New Jersey native, had enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2021 and moved to Corpus Christi after working as a KPMG accountant in the east coast, as reported by The New York Post.
Many have shared messages praising Ruskan as a hero, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
‘As catastrophic floods swept through Central Texas, Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan and his Coast Guard aircrew answered the call of duty without hesitation—saving 165 lives during his first rescue mission,’ the official Homeland Security account said in an X post.
‘The extraordinary bravery and selfless service of Ruskan and his fellow first responders embody the very spirit of the United States Coast Guard and the best of what it means to be an American.’
More than 1,700 emergency responders, volunteers and others have traveled to the area to help in the search and rescue efforts.
At least 90 people are confirmed to have been killed in the central Texas flooding as of Monday afternoon.
The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.
Ruskan, a New Jersey native, had enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2021 and moved to Corpus Christi after working as a KPMG accountant in the east coast
Ruskan’s Coast Guard crew is seen participating in rescue missions near Kerrville, Texas
In Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday morning.
Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic.
Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released.
Governor Greg Abbott on Sunday had said that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said during a Monday news conference he couldn’t give an estimate of the number of people still missing, only saying ‘it is a lot.’
