NORTH CAROLINA -- A former Marine from Texas is being thanked in a big way for helping North Carolinians during Hurricane Florence.

Ryan Nichols heard about the storm and drove all the way from Longview, Texas, to help North Carolinians with evacuations.

He and a friend picked up a boat along the way and were able to rescue over 25 people and 10 animals.

His courageous efforts have been recognized on Ellentube, the video destination for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Shutterfly surprised him with a donation in his name to the Humane Society of the United States for $25,000.