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.

The catastrophic Central Texas floods have claimed at least 121 lives and left 173 missing, as a report reveals that Kerr County officials were repeatedly denied state funding for an emergency flood warning system.

Heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River in Texas to flood on Friday, prompting search teams to begin rescues and leading to reports of multiple fatalities. Overnight, residents in central Kerr County witnessed as much as 10 inches of heavy rain within just a few hours.

The deadly Texas floods have brought the state's approach to land approvals, especially in flood-prone areas, under more scrutiny.

In the Austin area, 12 people are still missing and 16 are known to have perished after rain swept away homes along rivers and creeks.

More than 170 people are still believed to be missing a week after the forceful floodwater hit over the July Fourth weekend.

Flooding has been at the top of Texans’ minds this week, but this is not the first time that the need for flood-related measures has come up among local officials.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited flood-ravaged central Texas, where 120 people were killed last weekend. Another 161 are still missing At a roundtable, Trump says he has never seen devastation like this before and describes the Guadalupe River as becoming a "monster" A group of Texas officials has arrived at the Kerrville roundtable - waiting for Donald Trump to arrive.