Flash floods surged through in the middle of the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.

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 of youth campers and others in Kerr County,

New human settlements constructed in recent years have made the waterway more hazardous, UT-Arlington civil engineering professor says.

FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration, in coordination with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, are opening a Disaster Recovery Center in Kerrville on Thursday, July 10, to help homeowners, renters and business owners impacted by the flooding.

Before hundreds of first responders and volunteers from around the country came to help, it was the local residents of Texas Hill Country who faced down a deadly wall of water along the Gaudalope River and witnessed terrifying scenes.

Of all the counties affected, Kerr County suffered the greatest losses as a deadly wall of water roared down the Guadalupe River in the early morning hours of July 4. Wednesday evening, the City of Kerrville came together in a vigil at Antler Stadium to pray for the victims and those still missing after the flood.

Despite officials urging civilians to stay away, volunteers have joined the search for missing people and the cleanup on the Guadalupe River.

Video from outside Billy Gene's Restaurant in Kerrville showed the Guadalupe River several feet higher than usual. Owner Crystal Smith said the water came within a foot of their back patio.

It took just 90 minutes for the river to rise more than 30 feet. A look at the historic flood levels now etched into Central Texas history.

Hill Country residents and volunteers on Tuesday continued picking up the pieces that the deadly waterway left behind days earlier.