Trump, 1st lady head to Texas to review flood damage
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Texas, flooding
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Kerr County 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.
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.
State officials said rescue efforts in Central Texas following devastating flooding continue, emphasizing the state's continued commitment to recovery.
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.
President Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Kerr County, Texas, Friday afternoon, one week after the area was struck by catastrophic flooding.
2hon MSN
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?
1don MSN
A Kerrville-area river authority executed a contract for a flood warning system that would have been used to help with emergency response, local officials said.
Over the last decade, an array of local and state agencies have missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system intended to avert the type of disaster that swept away dozens in Kerr County, Texas.