A member of the U.S. Coast Guard is being hailed a hero for saving lives during his first rescue mission in the aftermath of the deadly Texas floods.
In a social media post Saturday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said, “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. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG,” she added:
Social media users were quick to comment on her post, one person writing, “Amazing story of triumph over tragedy. God bless Petty Officer Scott Ruskin.”
“Thank you Scott for working to save my community. I live in the Texas Hill Country,” another person stated.
The news of Ruskin’s heroism and lives being saved comes as the death toll climbed to 51 late Saturday as authorities were still searching for more than 20 girls who went missing when the storms and flooding hit on the Fourth of July, per Breitbart News.
“The flooding occurred Friday morning in a popular children’s camp area near Kerrville, Texas, and killed at least 15 children, officials stated,” the outlet said.
When speaking of officials’ efforts to find the missing people, U.S. Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) told Breitbart News, “We remain hopeful. There’s been a few stories of kids that made it. A young woman survived on a mattress, floating on the water for a while. Some other rescue stories out of trees.”
Breitbart Texas was on the ground Saturday near the city of Kerrville where the flood was caused by a huge, stalled rainstorm along the Guadalupe River.
“One video shot by Breitbart Texas on Saturday in the aftermath of the Independence Day Flood shows the devastating effect of a wall of water that rose at least 26 feet above the banks of the Guadalupe River in a matter of a few hours. Trees were flattened, homes wiped off their foundations, and cars were tossed like smashed toys,” the outlet said.
Seven girls believed to be campers were rescued by a Texas National Guard Blackhawk helicopter on Friday amid the flooding near Kerrville, Breitbart News reported.
Video footage shows the moment the helicopter touches down and the girls make it safely onto the ground.