Plans to develop a flood monitoring system in the Texas county hit hardest by deadly floods were scheduled to begin only a few weeks later.

Texas flood before-and-after pictures show devastating toll of catastrophe which left 121 dead and 173 missing - Crews are digging through mountains of debris along the Guadalupe River as they continu

Over just two hours, the Guadalupe River at Comfort, Texas, rose from hip-height to three stories tall, sending water weighing as much as the Empire State building downstream roughly every minute it remained at its crest. The force of floodwater is often more powerful and surprising than people imagine.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

According to Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county's top elected official, "the public reeled at the cost" of flash flood early warning protections.

With more than 170 still missing, communities must reconcile how to pick up the pieces around a waterway that remains both a wellspring and a looming menace.

Follow for live updates in the Texas flooding as the death toll rises to 120, as rescue operations start to shift to recovery phase