Plans to develop a flood monitoring system in the Texas county hit hardest by deadly floods were scheduled to begin only a few weeks later.

FOX 4’s Steven Dial rode along the Guadalupe River with the sheriff of Andrews County, located in West Texas, to get his first-hand account of the recovery effort.

The flooding created financial peril for many small businesses owners. Now they are cleaning up and working to get back on their feet.

Since 2016, the topic of a "flood warning system" for Kerr County has come up at 20 different county commissioners' meetings, according to minutes. The idea for a system was first introduced by Kerr County Commissioner Thomas Moser and Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas in March 2016.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz joined Kerr County officials Monday during a news conference to update the public on the rescue and recovery efforts in Central Texas following the catastrophic flash flooding.

But meteorologists say the official National Weather Service forecast gave ample notice for people to get themselves – and others – out of harm’s way. State and local officials say nothing could have prepared them for the Guadalupe River to rise as quickly as it did.

Just within the last 3 to 6 hours, the National Weather Service reports south central Kerr County has received between 5 to 10 inches of rain, prompting a flash flood emergency until 7 a.m. Friday, July 4.