The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes on the morning of July 4th, leading to devastation and more than 100 deaths across Central Texas. CNN recounts what happened in the first 48 hours of the flood.

With hundreds confirmed dead or still missing, questions remain about the local response to flood warnings. Meanwhile, lawmakers will weigh measures to mitigate future disasters.

Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children. 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.

Historic Texas flood leaves 161 missing and 96 dead. Rescuers battle harsh conditions, as communities grapple with heartache and aid reaches survivors.

According to a new report Secretary Noem did not sign off on deploying FEMA’s urban search and rescue team to Texas until this Monday—more than three days after the floods struck. In the meantime, she was on Instagram crowd sourcing opinions about her official portrait.

During Texas's second-worst flood, Matthew Crowder ignored dispatch warnings to save a family. Now the community rallies to help survivors.

Hovering above the debris-strewn Guadalupe River, drone pilot Jordy Marks scans the flood-ravaged landscape with a quiet determination. As part of a civilian search and rescue team, Marks is helping guide ground crews to areas still untouched nearly a week after deadly floodwaters swept through Central Texas.

Volunteers combing through debris piles from the devastating Central Texas flooding had to sniff out decaying bodies in the “chaotic” initial days of the search-and-rescue efforts.