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.

Daniel Morales, assistant chief of the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department, believes that long, flat tone the morning of July Fourth saved lives.

Kerr County repeatedly failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.

The Guadalupe River flooded early July 4 as heavy rains prompted all in the area to evacuate. Additionally, emergency responders are frantically searching

Follow along for developments on the July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and Central Texas.

Miriam "Holly" Frizzell of Abilene was remembered for her vibrant life and love of the normally tranquil Guadalupe River.

With more than 170 still missing, communities must reconcile how to pick up the pieces around a waterway that remains both a wellspring and a looming menace.

This isn't the first time flooding along the Guadalupe River has claimed lives. Jim Moore was a reporter who covered an eerily similar flood nearly four decades ago.

Texas authorities said Tuesday 87 people died in Kerr County as a result of catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River on the Fourth of July. Five girls and a counselor from Camp Mystic remain missing, the officials said.