Weather warnings predicted devastation from both the Texas floods and Hurricane Helene. But in both disasters, people were left in harm’s way.

Forecasters warn that slow-moving storms could bring heavy downpours to already saturated areas, increasing the risk of flash flooding.

Officials in Kerr County, where the majority of the deaths from the July 4 flash floods occurred, have yet to detail what actions they took in the early hours of the disaster.

Alert fatigue may have led some residents to ignore warnings. Spotty cell service also could have kept some alerts from coming in at all.

As historic flash floods swept through Kerr County over July 4 weekend, killing more than 100 people and leaving families scrambling to escape in the dark, a years-old decision by county officials to block a proposed siren alert system has come under renewed scrutiny.

Flooding is the deadliest natural disaster facing Oklahomans, a threat far greater than tornadoes. In the United States, flooding kills an average of 103 people a year. Tornadoes, however, caused 48 deaths on average during the same period, according to the National Weather Service.

At least 120 people are now confirmed dead from the catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country on the 4th of July. Some families are scouring the river themselves, looking for any signs of their missing loved ones.