At a Wednesday morning press conference, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha declined to answer a question about delayed emergency alerts, saying that an "after-action" would follow the search and rescue efforts. "Those questions are gonna be answered," he added.

The plan, which would have installed flood monitoring equipment near Camp Mystic, cost about as much as the county spends on courthouse security every two years, or 1.5% of its annual budget.

State officials vowed to continue searching for the many still missing but have acknowledged the dwindling chances of finding survivors alive a week after the disaster.

President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, are expected to visit flood-ravaged areas of Central Texas on Friday to meet with emergency workers and survivors and to see disaster sites along th...