The statewide death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Central Texas earlier this month has risen to 135 and dozens more remain missing, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday. Abbott provided an update on the Texas floods during a news conference while in San Angelo,

Considering the recent flood emergency in Kerr County, Texas, which reportedly had no alert sirens in use, the question came up at the Hawley Borough Council meeting on July 9 of how the public would be notified of a catastrophic failure of the Lake Wallenpaupack dam.

FOX viewers have come through in a big way for the victims of the devastating Central Texas floods, raising over $7 million – so far.

President Donald Trump entered his second term talking about eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Then Texas’s Guadalupe River flooded, killing more than 130 Americans. Now, Trump’s team is scrambling to insist that its changes at FEMA did not hinder the federal response.

"It’s hard to believe the devastation," Trump said. "Trees that are 100 years old just ripped out of the ground. I've never seen anything like this, and I've seen a lot of bad ones."

A month ago, the president said he planned to “wean” states off FEMA assistance. Now, the White House has adopted a different line on the agency's future.

President Trump is set to visit law enforcement and families in Kerville, Texas after devastating floods but federal disaster aid is up in the air.

As climate change increases the frequency of environmental disasters, experts say federal cuts could leave California and other states vulnerable in the years ahead.