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.

As survivors begin recovery efforts, state and local emergency responders continue to search for missing people in several counties. At least 119 deaths have been confirmed in six counties. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday afternoon that 161 people are missing in Kerr County alone. Overall, at least 172 people remain missing.

Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.

The number of people missing after devastating floods in Texas continues to climb, with officials warning that the recovery effort is far from over despite thousands of first responders clearing debris and searching for survivors.

Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.

Kerr County workers affected by July 4 flooding can now apply for disaster unemployment assistance through the Texas Workforce Commission.

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 Hunt Store was badly damaged by the Texas floods, but the owner vows to rebuild the landmark where Kinky Friedman and other music stars performed.