Two weeks after deadly floods swept through Texas, officials dropped the number of still-missing people in the hardest-hit area to three — down from nearly 160 in the days following the July

Last week, officials said 97 people were missing in Kerr County. Now, it’s down to three. The drop is substantial, but such wild fluctuations can happen after disasters.

As the death toll climbs, authorities grapple with an imprecise tally of the missing, highlighting the complexities of disaster recovery.