At least 120 people have been killed and 173 others are missing as Texas officials deflect questions over the state’s response to the catastrophic flash floods.Kerr County remains at the center of the disaster after the Guadalupe River burst its banks on Friday.

Some regions in the mid-Atlantic are also facing risks of flooding. On Sunday, Tropical Storm Chantal flooded parts of North Carolina, where more than 10 inches of rain fell near the Chapel Hill area. The Haw River, near Bynum, North Carolina, crested to nearly 22 feet, the highest crest on record there, as a result of those heavy rains.

Homeowners insurance policies typically do not cover flash floods like those in Texas and North Carolina. Here’s what to know about flood insurance.

As a climate scientist who calls Texas home, I can tell you that the Hill Country of Texas is no stranger to flooding. Meteorologists often refer to it as “Flash Flood Alley” because of its steep terrain, shallow soils, and its history of sudden and intense rainfall.

In what experts call "Flash Flood Alley," the terrain reacts quickly to rainfall steep slopes, rocky ground, and narrow riverbeds leave little time for warning.

When the precipitation intensified in the early morning hours Friday, many people failed to receive or respond to flood warnings at riverside campsites known to be in the floodplain.

State lawmakers could soon be back at the Capitol considering better warnings for floods in Texas. Just days after the Guadalupe River rushed over its banks and killed dozens