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 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.

The search for bodies continued nearly a week after deadly flooding in Texas. With 121 people confirmed dead and at least 161 still missing, officials there are facing scrutiny. The National Weather Service issued several watches and warnings before midnight on July 3,

While sirens can help in areas with shaky cell service, experts say officials also need to consider alert fatigue and provide education on what to do in an emergency.

A small Texas town recorded no deaths in last weekend’s flood disaster after it recently upgraded its emergency alert system — the kind of equipment that state and county officials repeatedly balked at installing just a few miles away in storm-ravaged Kerr County.