KERRVILLE, Texas, July 8 (Reuters) - The death toll from the July Fourth flash flood that ravaged a swath of central Texas Hill Country rose on Tuesday to at least 109, many of them children, as search teams pressed on through mounds of mud-encrusted debris looking for scores of people still missing.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

There's no sense in finger-pointing over whether or not alerts went out fast enough in Texas, said Landry. As she sees it, preparing for the weather comes down to knowing the landscape where you live and planning out what to do if disaster strikes. "You have to be aware and prepared," she said.

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.

A 20-month-old toddler has died in last week’s flooding that devastated Kerr County in Texas, according to the child’s family.

A study puts the spotlight on Texas as the leading U.S. state by far for flood-related deaths, with more than 1,000 of them from 1959 to 2019.

First lady Melania Trump joined President Donald Trump to visit victims of the Texas floods on July 11. The first lady was pictured embracing her husband while departing the White House in a khaki-colored jacket and monochromatic army green look paired with animal print sunglasses and Converse Chuck Taylor kicks,