Scott Ruskan, a 26-year-old rescue swimmer with the U.S. Coast Guard, is being applauded as an “American hero” after his first mission saw him save 165 people affected by the flash floods in Texas.
Newsweek has reached out to Ruskan via social media message for comment outside of regular working hours.
The Context
Over the Fourth of July weekend, flash floods have torn across central Texas. The Guadalupe River surged by more than 20 to 26 within 90 minutes, causing widespread devastation and forcing evacuations.
More than 80 people have died, according to the Associated Press, and flood warnings have been activated by the National Weather Service across Texas, with many of them expected to last up until at least Monday morning.
What To Know
Petty Officer Ruskan is from New Jersey and used to be a KPMG accountant. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 2021. After completing rescue swimmer training, he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“This is what it’s all about,” Ruskan told The New York Post. “This is why we do the job.”
The 26-year-old was in charge of triage at Camp Mystic, a summer camp where there were 700 girls at the time that the flash flood hit the Guadalupe River.
The mission involved extensive cooperation between the Coast Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Air National Guard, and Texas Task Force 1, a FEMA urban search and rescue task force. A search and rescue technician with Texas Task Force 1 called upon the Coast Guard for help for an emergency rapid response, according to The New York Post.
“That’s a little bit outside our area of operation normally, but people were in danger, and we’re a good asset to try and help people out, and these guys were asking for help, so that’s kind of what we do,” Ruskan told the outlet.
Ruskan helped to lead a rescue mission which ultimately brought 165 people to safety.
“So we basically got the majority of the people out of Camp Mystic, which is awesome. And I feel like we did a lot of good that day, but obviously it’s still super sad,” he said. “There’s still a lot of people missing and unaccounted for, so the mission’s not over yet. It’s not over for us.”
Ruskan’s efforts have been applauded across social media, including by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
What People Are Saying
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X: “United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero.”
Scott Ruskan told The New York Post: “I’m mostly just a dude. I’m just doing a job. This is what I signed up for, and I think that any single Coast Guard rescue swimmer or any single Coast Guard pilot, flight mechanic, whoever it may be, would have done the exact same thing in our situation.”
Nick Sotor, a media and news personality, wrote on X: “This man is the DEFINITION of an American hero!”
The official social media account for Homeland Security wrote on X: “During the devastating flooding in central Texas, Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan directly saved 165 lives. He is an American hero.”
What’s Next
President Donald Trump has approved a “Major Disaster Declaration” for Kerr County. Search and rescue operations continue, led by multiple local, state and federal agencies.
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