A Kerrville-area river authority executed a contract for a flood warning system that would have been used to help with emergency response, local officials said.

SAN ANTONIO — Five days after the waters of the Guadalupe River rose and overwhelmed much of Kerr Country on July Fourth, search and recovery efforts continue as the community picks up the pieces of one of the state's worst natural disasters in years.

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.

Residents say Kerr County’s use of CodeRED alerts was sporadic and inconsistent. Local officials have not answered questions about when and how they utilized the system, which has been in place since 2009.

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

Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.

Hundreds of children at summer campsites along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County were at risk early Friday when a catastrophic flash flood killed at

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.