When James Lann learned that Hurricane Harvey was poised to drench Houston in more than 50 inches of rain, he knew he had to join in the search and rescue efforts.



All he needed was a boat.



Lann, a singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, borrowed a vessel from his neighbor and set off alone to drive the 200 miles from his home in Blooming Grove, Texas, to Houston. With the help of a friend that he picked up along the way, Lann eventually rescued more than 100 people from their homes in Houston and Port Arthur, harnessing social media to locate people whose homes had flooded.



"The number doesn't matter too much," Lann said. "Just one was worth it."



The University of Texas honored more than 2,000 first responders Saturday afternoon, offering free tickets to its football game against San Jose State. Lann, who often worked directly with first responders as he brought people to safety, said the first responders played a critical role in rescuing thousands and enabling civilian efforts such as his own.



"Honestly, the first responders are key," Lann said. "Without them, there wouldn't have been any shelters in place, there wouldn't be anything to go to. Without them, what we were doing wouldn't have helped much."



While searching flooded homes in Houston, Lann discovered wheelchair-bound residents who were up to their necks in water. Others had been forced into their attics or on top of their roofs when the water rose too high.



"Everybody did their job," Lann said. "With everyone that went down there to help, everyone played a role."



James Pittman, an Austin Police Department officer who was among those honored on Saturday, said local law enforcement took a dual approach in the wake of Harvey. In addition to sending officers to Houston to maintain order after the floods, APD continues to support shelters for evacuees in Austin.



"A lot of these guys that went down to Houston, they volunteered," Pittman said. "These guys volunteered to go down there and they volunteered to put their lives on hold and sacrificed to help their fellow Texans out. That right there should make anybody proud."



First responders are active in emergencies on a daily basis, but their role is especially pronounced in the event of national disasters such as Harvey. Pittman said the University's recognition of first responders was unexpected, but welcome.



"I can't say enough about it," Pittman said. "We don't hear it a whole lot. More so recently we've kind of started to hear 'thank you' from folks. It's not something we expect. I don't expect people to thank me for what my job is — it's my job. But it really is appreciated when people do step up and commemorate us."



As he stood in the North End Zone of Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium minutes before kickoff, Pittman provided a dose of perspective given the tragic events of the last two weeks.



"There are so many people that have lost a lot of things, lost their whole lives really," Pittman said. "Just to be able to be here today, it really reminds you to appreciate what you have and reiterate what Texans are about. Of course, football, but also being there for each other."