Media outlets in the US are reporting that the death toll from flash floods that struck the state of Texas last Friday has risen to 120. More than 160 people are missing.

Authorities say the heavy rain that inundated communities along the Guadalupe River caused waters to rise by about 10 meters in just two hours. The flooding caused devastation to both people and property. Among those killed were children attending a summer camp.

Drew Yancey is the co-owner of a campground for recreational vehicles. He said a friend woke him up and alerted him to the rising waters. After ordering his guests to evacuate, he escaped to higher ground. He said that his own trailer, and many buildings, were swept away.

Yancey said, "We can get some floods sometimes, they are not coming up very high, and we can evacuate in about half an hour."

However, he added: "We had evacuation plans and anything else, but there just wasn't enough time at all. It's hard to remember where things were. It changed so much."

As many as 2,100 rescue workers, including firefighters from Mexico, have been deployed in the search and recovery effort.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared that a special session of the state legislature will be convened on July 21. On the agenda will be ways to improve early warning systems and to strengthen emergency communications in flood-prone areas.

The top-ranking Democrat in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, has called on a government watchdog to probe the response by authorities. He suspects that staff cuts to the National Weather Service under the administration of President Donald Trump may have weakened local forecasting.

However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday dismissed that idea, saying, "Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning."

Trump is expected to visit the affected area on Friday.