The first weather emergency alert sent by the National Weather Service with urgent language instructing people to "seek higher ground now" was sent at 4:03 a.m. local time.

The risk of the catastrophic flooding that struck Texas Hill Country as people slept on July 4 and left at least 120 dead was potentially underestimated by federal authorities, according to an ABC News analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, satellite imagery and risk modeling.

Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people.

Weather model data shows the National Weather Service had reason to warn of higher flood risks. Still, meteorologists say the agency made reasonable predictions.

Central Texas is infamous for its flash flooding and arid soil, hard-packed ground into which water does not easily infiltrate. So when rain hits the ground, it runs off the region's hilly terrain and canyons and accumulates into creeks and rivers rapidly, overwhelming them, causing them to rise quickly.

The deadly consequences of Trump’s National Weather Service budget cuts.

The flood that tore through the Texas Hill Country early July 4 left more than broken infrastructure and a ruined weekend; it left a heartbreaking human toll of more than 100 lives lost and scores more missing.

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.

Weather models that meteorologists use to predict thunderstorm activity and heavy precipitation suggested on Thursday the possibility of 10 inches of rain — and even as much as 20 inches — across

The Trump administration faces intense backlash for FEMA’s slow response to the deadly floods in Texas, where a number of people remain missing. Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez and former FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell join The Weekend to discuss.