Texans are reeling from the major flood disaster over the holiday weekend that killed at least 82 people, with another 41 missing. Those numbers are expected to rise as authorities continue searching the affected areas.

Flash flood alley is a curved-shaped region about 300 miles long and 50 miles wide in central/south-central Texas, extending from north of Dallas to southwest of San Antonio. Its location, weather patterns, and geology often combine to create devastating floods.

Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him. Hours later,