Often the number of people that are reported missing in a natural disaster turns out to be much greater than the actual final tally

Max Chesnes is the Tampa Bay Times' environment and climate reporter, covering public lands, water quality, wildlife and everything in between. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Instagram @MaxChesnes. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here.

Officials in a Texas town where nobody died amid the state's devastating flooding last week are crediting an updated siren system with saving lives.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller dismissed conspiracy theories linking his agency to cloud seeding, saying it hasn't been involved in weather modification since 2011.

Maps show how heavy rainfall and rocky terrain helped create the devastating Texas floods that have killed more than 120 people.

The Fourth of July flooding had an outsized effect not just on the Hill Country but also on rain-starved Texas cities like San Antonio and Austin.

In what experts call "Flash Flood Alley," the terrain reacts quickly to rainfall steep slopes, rocky ground, and narrow riverbeds leave little time for warning.