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.

FEMA records show Kerr County officials did not use FEMA’s system to send warnings to phones in the critical hours as the flooding began on July 4.

A Texas county rejected siren alert systems in the past due to high costs. But after recent flash floods, state and local officials face renewed questions.