Experts said the NWS did a good job warning about the flooding, but questions remain about whether the cuts played a role.

"A lot of the weather forecast offices now are not operating at full complement of staff," said the former lead of NOAA.

The National Weather Service issued timely alerts, meteorologists say, but few were listening in the hours before the early-morning flash floods along the Guadalupe River

Local officials warned the number of dead will likely rise and were due to give an update on Sunday morning, as search and rescue teams raced to find 27 girls missing from a camp near the Guadalupe River,

Search efforts continue for a fourth day with more than 80 people confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas.

Catastrophic flooding struck central Texas on Friday as the Guadalupe River surged by more than 20 to 26 feet within 90 minutes, causing widespread devastation and forcing mass evacuations in Texas Hill Country. At least 80 people have been killed in the floods while others remain missing or displaced and more than 850 people required rescuing.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been activated in Texas, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday provided an update on the devastating floods that have struck Texas. At least 79 have been killed and more than 40 people are missing.