By Jane Ross and Maria Alejandra Cardona KERRVILLE, Texas (Reuters) -Officials in flood-stricken central Texas on Wednesday again deflected mounting questions about whether they could have done more to warn people ahead of devastating flash flooding that killed at least 119 people on July 4.

The grim task of searching for the scores of people missing from the devastating flood that struck Texas Hill Country nearly a week ago is taking an agonizing toll on searchers.

Nearly a week after deadly floods struck Central Texas, search and rescue teams are continuing to probe debris for those still missing.

Kerr County applied for federal grants to build a warning system to protect residents from flash floods. Under the Trump administration, that kind of funding is drying up.

KERRVILLE — As the massive search for flood victims entered its seventh day, local officials on Thursday said the death toll in Kerr County has risen to 96. Officials have recovered 96 bodies in Kerr County as of 8 a.m. Thursday, with 60 of those adults and 36 children, said Jonathan Lamb, a spokesman with the Kerrville Police Department.

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.

As flood water rose rapidly on the Guadalupe River in Texas early on July 4, there was no outdoor siren or warning alarm to alert people to the danger.Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, a top local government official,

Over the last decade, an array of local and state agencies have missed opportunities to fund a flood warning system intended to avert the type of disaster that swept away dozens in Kerr County, Texas.

Twice, the Texas Division of Emergency Management turned down Kerr County's requests for money to improve flood warnings.