Who is Scott Ruskan? ‘American hero' who saved 165 lives in Texas floods
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, from New Jersey, was part of the emergency team sent to Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls that was one of the worst-hit areas along the Guadalupe River.
Kristi Noem, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, praised him on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, '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.'
Also Read: 'I love you': Last text of Dallas sisters found dead with 'hands locked together' in Texas floods
Who is Scott Ruskan?
Ruskin was raised in Oxford, New Jersey. He was former KPMG accountant. He enrolled in the US Coast Guard in 2021, and completed his basic training, then went to Aviation Survival Technician school in Petaluma, California, according to New York Post report.
He was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he kept up advanced training and learned how to work with the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. The Texas flood response was the first time he was sent out on a rescue mission.
Ruskan was the only triage coordinator on the ground. He organized medical care for the injured while 12 helicopters from the Coast Guard, National Guard, and US Army carried out rescues. His actions helped save many lives in the middle of a crisis.
Also Read: Texas floods: 51 dead, rescue mission ongoing; Trump's job cuts linked to delayed forecast | 5 points
Ruskan shared in an interview on 'Fox and Friends' that while they were in the air, they spotted a large group of around 200 kids gathered at a campsite. That sight led them to focus their attention on Camp Mystic.
Scott told 'Fox and Friends', 'Yeah, as far as right now, we've been getting our tasks from higher above mostly from the Army as of right now. But a lot of it has just been large state triages, so we were at Mystic yesterday for a long period of time.'
'We probably got about 200 people out of there alone, and it was just, yeah, we just saw a huge crowd, about 200 kids at a campsite. So, we're like, cool that's where we're gonna go, and we're just gonna get as many people out as we can until they're all gone.'
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