Texas Hill Country floods
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Lawmakers in Austin held the first of a series of hearings on Wednesday to prevent a disaster like the Hill Country flooding from happening again.
Gov. Abbott reports two still missing from Texas floods, with recovery efforts and a potential tax hike for repairs underway.
More than 100 people were killed in the flooding that overtook the Hill Country and other parts of Central Texas during the Fourth of July weekend.
The Disaster Preparedness and Flooding Joint Committee met for the first time on Wednesday with the goal of improving flood warning systems, communications, allocating funding and preparing plans ahead of the next natural disaster.
Volunteers from 26 states helped recovery efforts in the Hill Country, driven by a desire to bring closure to families impacted by the devastating flooding.
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Kelly said during the meeting that the commission approved a 20% budget increase two years ago to recruit and retain deputies using money from the general county fund. A year later when the county sheriff's office was granted $500,000 from SB22, the county judge said that money was supposed to be used to offset the cost of the budget increase.
The Texas Hill Country floods have impacted families from all over the country, including Marco Acosta and his relatives, who experienced the disaster’s aftermath in different locations.
State lawmakers today honored Coast Guard member Scott Ruskan for his heroic actions during the Hill Country flood, where he rescued 165 people,