Who is Scott Ruskan? Coast Guard hero who saved scores from floods on his first callout
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,' as reported by The New York Post.
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.
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.
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.'
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