Texas officials refused to answer many serious questions about how prepared they were for the deadly flooding that struck the area on July 4th.

The storms that battered the Hill Country for the last four days began to lighten up, although isolated pockets of heavy rain were still possible.

Search and rescue efforts continued overnight in Texas for the dozens of people still missing from the devastating flash floods that have killed more than 100 people. Meanwhile, the Texas flood alert system is facing scrutiny over how much warning locals were given ahead of the flash floods.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Her voice breaking, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that emergency responders in Texas are “still looking for a lot of little girls” who remain missing after a catastrophic flood during the holiday weekend.

Gov. Greg Abbott says 161 people remain missing after catastrophic Central Texas flooding, as the death toll climbs to 109 and search efforts intensify.

Congressional Democrats are demanding an inquiry into whether NWS staffing shortages have affected the death toll, and President Donald Trump took a swipe at Joe Biden for setting up “that water situation,

Experts said the NWS did a good job warning about the flooding, but questions remain about whether the cuts played a role.

As the deadly floodwaters in parts of central Texas recede, there are growing questions about how the catastrophic rainfall seemingly caught the area by surprise. Some local officials say the National Weather Service underestimated the extreme rain but the agency says an initial flood watch was issued Thursday afternoon.