Three hours and 21 minutes. That’s how much time passed from when the National Weather Service sent out its first flash flood warning for part of Kerr County to when the first flooding reports came in from low-lying water crossings.

Since 2016, the topic of a "flood warning system" for Kerr County has come up at 20 different county commissioners' meetings, according to minutes. The idea for a system was first introduced by Kerr County Commissioner Thomas Moser and Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas in March 2016.

Roads disappeared under rushing water. Homes and businesses were submerged as the Fourth of July weekend turned into a rescue mission.

Outdoor weather alert systems are not required by any federal or state law. The choice is left up to local leaders.

Residents say Kerr County’s use of CodeRED alerts was sporadic and inconsistent. Local officials have not answered questions about when and how they utilized the system, which has been in place since 2009.

The number of confirmed deaths from the Texas Hill Country floods rose to 95 in Kerr County on Wednesday, Sheriff Larry Leitha said.

Jeffrey Beri, the founder of animal rescue organisation No Dogs Left Behind, is on the ground with 10 of his trained dogs, some of whom he says specialise in explosive detection, to help the rescue effort. He says he was looking for a mother and father who were reported to have washed away in Hunt, Kerr County.

As of Sunday afternoon, Sheriff Larry Leitha of Kerr County, where the worst of the flooding occurred, said authorities had recovered the bodies of 40 adults and 28 children. Among those still missing were 10 children and a counselor from Camp Mystic,