The team deployed around 7 a.m. Friday from Corpus Christi, about 200 miles south of where the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, had risen from about 3 feet to nearly 30 feet. Floodwaters in the area had swept through and battered several youth camps on the river banks — including Camp Mystic, the summer camp where they were headed.

Hey there New Jersey! Here’s your audio update highlighting a heroic U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer from New Jersey credited with saving 165 people from floodwaters in Texas and the addition of a contaminated historic site in Mercer County to the Superfund National Priorities list.

He stayed behind alone to comfort terrified campers while floodwaters rose around them. This Coast Guard hero was on his first mission.