The catastrophic Central Texas floods have claimed at least 121 lives and left 173 missing, as a report reveals that Kerr County officials were repeatedly denied state funding for an emergency flood warning system.

President Donald Trump suggested the tragic loss of life that occurred in Texas as a result of historic flooding could have been mitigated if the county had “bells... or something, go off.” In an interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump on her Fox News show,

Over 12,000 volunteers have already assisted in Kerr County, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Recordings provided to CBS News showed first responders asking for an emergency alert to be sent, but dispatchers delayed because they needed special authorization.

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.

In the days after the devastating flood that killed dozens in Central Texas, local officials have deflected direct questions about preparations and warnings in advance of the storm that struck July Fourth.

Experts suggested that more data and education are needed as Texas and the rest of the country build in known flood plains.