The grim task of searching for the scores of people missing from the devastating flood that struck Texas Hill Country nearly a week ago is taking an agonizing toll on searchers.

Over the last decade, an array of Texas state and local agencies missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system, including failing to secure roughly $1 million US for a project to better protect Kerr County’s 50,

Heavy equipment is tearing through massive debris piles in Kerr County as the search for the missing continues.

A Kerrville-area river authority executed a contract for a flood warning system that would have been used to help with emergency response, local officials said.

As floodwaters rose rapidly on the Guadalupe River in Texas early on July 4, there was no outdoor siren or warning alarm to alert people to the danger.Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, a top local government official,

Kerr County and the Upper Guadalupe River Authority have tried several times to get funding to upgrade flood alerts on the river, dating back to 2016.

Kerr County applied for federal grants to build a warning system to protect residents from flash floods. Under the Trump Administration, that kind of funding is drying up.

Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.