Texas National Guard troops use boats to search for survivors in Kerr County after floods that began in the region on July 4, 2025. More than 230 Guard personnel worked in three counties to clear debris and conduct search and rescue operations. TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD
The United States Coast Guard sprang into action in July 2025 after heavy flooding on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country killed hundreds. Helicopters from the Heartland District (8th District) of the Coast Guard flew to Texas from stations in Corpus Cristi, Houston and Miami to aid rescue efforts on a river basin where water levels rose more than 20 feet in the early morning hours of July 4 in an area congested with vacationers. One Coast Guard swimmer rescued 165 people on his own while battling turbulent floodwaters.
The disaster began overnight on July 4 when heavy rains soaked the Guadalupe River basin near Kerrville. Cabins and campsites flooded, carrying away nearly everything in the water’s rush. Minutes before 6 a.m., Texas A&M Task Force 1 personnel requested assistance from the Coast Guard for rescue operations near Kerrville. An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry Aircraft aircrew launched from Air Station Corpus Christi along with an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew to assist with rescue operations, according to a Coast Guard news release. Another helicopter crew later departed from Miami.
The Coast Guard assisted local authorities in helping displaced people and locating the missing, conducting dozens of flights and rescuing hundreds. Texas Task Force 1, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas National Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife as well as local sheriff’s offices and air flight hospital services also participated. “The preservation of life during this incident is our top priority,” said Capt. Ulysses S. Mullins, the Coast Guard Heartland District chief of staff, “which is why the Coast Guard is working with the State of Texas alongside other responding agencies to ensure that every asset on scene is able to coordinate, communicate and respond as safely and quickly as possible,” according to the Coast Guard release. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders also deployed Arkansas National Guard troops to Texas. More than 20 Guardsmen consisting of pilots, crew chiefs and maintenance personnel left Camp Robinson in North Little Rock on four Black Hawk helicopters around 7 a.m. July 8, according to a release from the Arkansas National Guard.
Scott Ruskan, 26, a Coast Guard swimmer on his first rescue mission, landed with a Coast Guard helicopter near Camp Mystic, an all-girls sleep-away camp in Hunt, Texas. Over the course of the mission, Ruskan is credited with saving 165 people displaced by the flood, acting as a lone triage nurse for the terrified campers being ferried to safety by helicopters from the Coast Guard and the Army National Guard. On July 11, the Coast Guard awarded Ruskan its highest honor, the Distinguished Flying Cross. Ruskan’s three crewmates also received awards in recognitions for their heroic actions during the mission.
As of July 6, nearly 250 Texas Guardsmen were clearing roads and removing debris, according to a news release from National Guard Association of the United States. Texas Guardsmen saved at least 520 victims as of July 6, including 366 people evacuated by UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, and 159 more rescued on the ground by Guardsmen. The 147th Attack Wing Air Support Operations fielded MQ-9 Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft to assist with recovery efforts, the release stated.