Death toll from flooding in Kerr County climbs to 103
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The same region of Texas that experienced catastrophic, deadly flooding over the Fourth of July weekend also experienced massive flooding in the past. A 1987 flood in Kerr County resulted in the death of 33 people,
FEMA records show Kerr County officials did not use FEMA’s system to send warnings to phones in the critical hours as the flooding began on July 4.
"The first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood," Trump said as he spoke at a roundtable event with first responders and local officials.
Recordings provided to CBS News showed first responders asking for an emergency alert to be sent, but dispatchers delayed because they needed special authorization.
In the last nine years, federal funding for a system has been denied to the county as it contends with a tax base hostile to government overspending.
Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.
Plans to develop a flood monitoring system in the Texas county hit hardest by deadly floods were scheduled to begin only a few weeks later.