Plans to develop a flood monitoring system in the Texas county hit hardest by deadly floods were scheduled to begin only a few weeks later.

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.

FOX 4’s Steven Dial rode along the Guadalupe River with the sheriff of Andrews County, located in West Texas, to get his first-hand account of the recovery effort.

Miriam "Holly" Frizzell of Abilene was remembered for her vibrant life and love of the normally tranquil Guadalupe River.

With more than 170 still missing, communities must reconcile how to pick up the pieces around a waterway that remains both a wellspring and a looming menace.

KERR COUNTY, Texas — Kerr County leaders debated the issue of installing emergency sirens along the Guadalupe River nearly a decade ago, but one former official said there was pushback from some residents.

Kerr County, Texas and national search and rescue operations will continue Monday around the Guadalupe River, where families wait for news of their loved ones.

He said he then called his mother, who told them to find higher ground. “By that point, everything was floating. There was nothing to get on top of,” Fell said. “So, I had to swim through a window and hold on to the meter box outside of the house.” Fell said he stood on the metal box for nearly three hours.