Texas county commissioners previously suggested "river calling," an informal phone chain used by summer camps, would be better than installing new flood sirens.

Kerr County, where dozens of people—many of them children—died in this weekend's catastrophic flooding, knew flash floods were a danger in the area—but its application for a grant to improve its flood warning system was rejected by the Texas Division of Emergency Management in both 2017 and 2018,

As of Sunday, at least 38 adults and 21 children have been confirmed dead in Kerr County, with additional deaths reported in nearby counties. Eleven girls and a counselor from the all-girls Camp Mystic, a beloved summer spot of many D-FW area children for nearly a century, remain missing.