Three hours and 21 minutes. That’s how much time passed from when the National Weather Service sent out its first flash flood warning for part of Kerr County to when the first flooding reports came in from low-lying water crossings.

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.

As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, 96 people — 60 adults and 36 children — are dead in Kerr County after Hill Country flooding, authorities said.

Follow for live updates in the Texas flooding as the death toll rises to 120, as rescue operations start to shift to recovery phase

The number of fatalities connected to the Kerr County floods has risen to 75, local officials said Monday as search and rescue efforts continue and Camp Mystic grieved ”the loss of 27 campers and counselors”.

A Texas county rejected siren alert systems in the past due to high costs. But after recent flash floods, state and local officials face renewed questions.