A Kerrville-area river authority executed a contract for a flood warning system that would have been used to help with emergency response, local officials said.

Authorities confirmed Wednesday that 120 people have died in the central Texas floods. Follow for live updates.

As of 6:25 p.m. on Wednesday, 96 people — 60 adults and 36 children — are dead after Hill Country flooding, Kerr County officials said.

The number of confirmed deaths from the Texas Hill Country floods rose to 95 in Kerr County on Wednesday, Sheriff Larry Leitha said.

Over the last decade, an array of local and state agencies have missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system intended to avert the type of disaster that swept away dozens in Kerr County, Texas.

In the days after the devastating flood that killed dozens in Central Texas, local officials have deflected direct questions about preparations and warnings in advance of the storm that struck July Fourth.

Kerr County, Texas and national search and rescue operations will continue Monday around the Guadalupe River, where families wait for news of their loved ones.

Flash floods surged through in the middle of the night, but many local officials appeared unaware of the unfolding catastrophe, initially leaving people near the river on their own.

Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.