The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early-morning flash floods along the Guadalupe River

At least 82 people are dead after heavy rain led to "catastrophic" flooding in Texas. Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 75 deaths, including 27 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there.

State and local officials are calling out federal forecasters amid deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country over the extended Fourth of July weekend. The criticism comes, as funding cuts and staff shortages plague the National Weather Service and other emergency management agencies nationwide.