Public officials in the area have come under repeated criticism amid questions about the timeline of what happened and why widespread warnings were

Most summers, Kerrville, Texas, draws crowds for its July 4 celebration. This year, the streets are filled with emergency responders.

Former President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump will travel to Texas on Friday to meet with first responders, families affected by the recent deadly July 4 floods, and local officials, according to a White House official.

Over just two hours, the Guadalupe River at Comfort, Texas, rose from hip-height to three stories tall, sending water weighing as much as the Empire State building downstream roughly every minute it remained at its crest. The force of floodwater is often more powerful and surprising than people imagine.

Kerr County repeatedly 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.

Texas officials face questions over who monitored weather and warned of floodwaters heading toward camps and homes.

KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — Over the last decade, an array of Texas state and local agencies missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system intended to avert a disaster like the one that killed dozens of young campers and scores of others in Kerr County on the Fourth of July.

Longtime Kerrville resident and singer Robert Earl Keen’s benefit concert for the Texas Hill Country’s flood victims and survivors has been scheduled for