As communities across Central Texas reel from the deadly floods that devastated Kerrville and surrounding Hill Country towns, Fox 29 Chief Meteoro

Jennifer Berry Hawes ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.

At least 120 people have been found dead since heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river and flowed through homes and youth camps in the early morning hours of July 4. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children.

Kerr County failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.

The special session agenda includes 18 legislative priorities, with several directly addressing the recent disaster.

As of 8 a.m. on Thursday, 96 people — 60 adults and 36 children — are dead in Kerr County after Hill Country flooding, authorities said.