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

At least 120 people have been killed and 173 are still missing as Texas officials deflect questions over the state’s response to the catastrophic flash floods. Kerr County remains at the center of the disaster after the Guadalupe River burst its banks on Friday.

As a climate scientist who calls Texas home, I can tell you that the Hill Country of Texas is no stranger to flooding. Meteorologists often refer to it as “Flash Flood Alley” because of its steep terrain, shallow soils, and its history of sudden and intense rainfall.

Factors such as elevation and soil consistency are vastly different in Florida than in Texas, according to meteorologists.

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.

Eyewitness accounts reveal terrifying moments when a massive flood struck Hunt, Texas on July Fourth, killing more than 100 people.

Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s emergency plan just two days before devastating floods killed over 27 people, mostly children, at the Texas summer camp