As the Guadalupe River swelled from a wall of water heading downstream , sirens blared over the tiny river community of Comfort -- a last-ditch warning to get out for those who had missed cellphone al

Agencies failed to secure roughly US$1 million for a project to better protect the county’s 50,000 residents and campers and tourists who spend time along the Guadalupe River.

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.