Officials in central Texas on Wednesday, July 9, continued to avoid direct answers to growing questions about whether more could have been done to warn residents ahead of the deadly flash floods that struck on July 4, killing at least 119 people. At a news conference in Kerr County, where most of the fatalities occurred, Sheriff Larry Leitha defended the actions of emergency responders. When asked about delays in responding to Code Red flood alerts, Leitha didn’t provide a clear response, stating his current priority was locating the missing. He promised that an investigation into any possible failures would take place in the future, though he couldn’t specify when.

By Tuesday evening, over 170 people remained missing, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, raising fears that the death toll could climb. No survivors had been found since Friday. The flash floods struck with little warning as torrential rain dumped more than a foot of water in under an hour, causing the Guadalupe River to rise nearly 30 feet. Kerrville was especially hard hit. As of Wednesday morning, 95 people had died in the county, including about three dozen children. Among the victims were at least 27 individuals from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls summer camp located by the river.

In the community of Hunt, one grieving family set up a memorial where Jose Olvera and his wife were swept away by floodwaters near their home. Olvera’s body was found under debris by a nearby stream, while his wife remains missing. His son, Macedonio, expressed frustration, saying better warnings could have saved lives. Governor Abbott dismissed blame-focused questions, using a football metaphor to suggest that focusing on fault is unproductive. He emphasized that the state would move forward, with plans to hold a special legislative session later in the month to examine the emergency response and fund recovery efforts.

Officials acknowledged communication challenges in the vast, rural county, where cell phone coverage is poor. Although the state emergency agency had issued flood warnings the day before the disaster, the rainfall was far more intense than expected. City Manager Dalton Rice said that the sheer volume and speed of the floodwaters made evacuations extremely difficult. Eight years ago, the county had considered implementing an early-warning system but dropped the plan after failing to secure state grant money. The area, part of the flood-prone Texas Hill Country, remains especially vulnerable due to its terrain.

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, three more people, including two children, died on Tuesday in flash floods in the mountain village of Ruidoso. The floods followed heavy rains over wildfire burn scars, pushing the Rio Ruidoso River to a record 20 feet. Experts say that climate change is making extreme weather events like these floods more common and more destructive, driven by warmer and wetter conditions.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.