Kerr County first tried to secure $1 million for a flood warning system in 2017, but could not. Could such a system have prevented loss of life on July 4?

Kerr County officials rejected federal aid in 2021 that could have funded flood sirens, citing political objections.

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.