Nearly a week after floodwaters swept away more than a hundred lives, Texas officials are facing heated questions over how much was – or was not – done in the early morning hours of Friday as a wall of water raced down the Guadalupe River.

Devyn Smith clung to a tree as muddy, debris-laden water rushed beneath her. She was ripped more than 15 miles from where she and five of her family members had set camp the night before.

More than 100 people have been confirmed dead since July 4, when the Guadalupe River in central Texas swelled overnight and triggered flash floods that swept through an area known locally as “Flash Flood Alley.

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.

Businesses large and small also sprang into action to help the community. Grocery chain H-E-B, which started in Kerrville, one of the cities affected by the floods, has been donating food and supplies through the Red Cross. San Antonio-based fast-food chain Whataburger said it would provide meals to first responders.

The situation evolves daily. Several nonprofit groups that have arrived said they plan to remain on the ground for the next few weeks, providing physical, emotional, and spiritual support.

In Kerr County, Thad Heartfield is leading nearly 100 volunteers searching for flood victims. For him, this mission is personal. His son and three of his son's friends disappeared in the flood.

More than 100 people are confirmed dead and at least 160 are missing as search and rescue operations in central Texas entered a fifth day Tuesday after heavy rainfall overwhelmed the Guadalupe River,