The Brief
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- Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan rescued 165 people during his first-ever mission amid Texas’ catastrophic floods.
- Ruskan stayed behind at Camp Mystic to triage victims on-site, allowing his helicopter to rescue more people.
- U.S. officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, hailed Ruskan as an “American Hero” for his bravery.
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan is being hailed as a hero after rescuing 165 flood victims during his very first rescue mission amid the catastrophic flooding that struck central Texas late last week.
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday morning, the 26-year-old Coast Guard rescue swimmer said he and his helicopter crew were “battling some pretty bad weather” for around five or six hours before he was able to get on scene in the Hunt area.
Scott Ruskan, Coast Guard member, saves flood victims
What they’re saying:
“Once we got on scene, we were boots on the ground,” he said. “We made the decision to leave me there, we figured we would be able to hoist more people out on our helicopter with me not on it and then I would be able to help out the scene at Camp Mystic a little bit better.”
Ruskan added, “A lot of people looking very scared, very tired, cold. Missing loved ones. Probably terrified, honestly. And I was just trying to be a voice of calm and triage these people and get them to safety as soon as we could.”
Ruskan mentioned that other crews were getting into the water on Friday, “risking way more” than he was.
RELATED: FOX donates to Texas flooding relief; how you can help
“I was just doing my job,” he added.
Top US officials call Ruskan an ‘American hero’
Dig deeper:
His actions during the flooding near Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River have drawn national attention and recognition from top U.S. officials.
RELATED: Coast Guard rescue swimmer hailed as hero for saving 165 in Texas flooding
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, posted about Ruskan’s recovery efforts on X on Friday, calling him an “American Hero”.
