Kerr County first tried to secure $1 million for a flood warning system in 2017, but could not. Could such a system have prevented loss of life on July 4?

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.

At least 118 people are dead after heavy rain led to devastating flooding in Texas. Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 95 deaths, including 36 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there.

Several hundred people gathered at Tivy High School’s stadium in Kerr County, Texas, to mourn the victims of the catastrophic flash floods that hit the region and to honor the many still missing. The vigil Wednesday included tributes to Camp Mystic,