KERRVILLE, Texas (TNND) — Newly released dispatch audio shows Kerr County officials waited to send an emergency alert to residents warning them about the catastrophic Fourth of July flooding that killed at least 120 people.

There is currently no outdoor siren or warning system to alert residents to danger, but the county does have an emergency alert system called CodeRED. The system is described as "a web-based notification system that can be used to notify residents and internal contacts of emergencies and/or general information quickly and easily."

Uses for CodeRED include severe weather warnings, emergency management and fires.

However, recordings revealed that around an hour into the flood response at 4:22 a.m., a firefighter asked a dispatcher if the CodeRED system could be activated, according to audio reviewed by CBS News.

"Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents asking them to find higher ground or stay home?" the firefighter is heard asking.

"Stand by, we have to get that approved with our supervisor," the dispatcher responds.

At 3:26 a.m., another firefighter warned a dispatcher about a road being impassable along the Guadalupe River, blocking off the city of Hunt from emergency responders.

By 5:11 a.m., the CodeRED still hadn't been sent out, according to John David Trolinger, the former information technology director for Kerr County.

Trolinger told CBS that he doesn't know who is responsible for approving the emergency alerts anymore, but when he was working, it was the sheriff's responsibility.

An online petition calling for warning sirens to be installed in Kerr County currently has nearly 40,000 signatures.

Nicole Wilson, who organized the petition, said, "a well-placed siren system will provide critical extra minutes for families, schools, camps, businesses, and visitors to seek shelter and evacuate when needed."

"This is not just a wish — it is a necessary investment in public safety," she added.

During a Wednesday morning news conference, Kerry County Sheriff Larry Leitha was adamant that there would be answers about a timeline for activating the alert system when pressed by reporters.

“I believe those questions need to be answered, to the families of the missed loved ones, to the public, you know, in this office, those need doing. And I want that answer, and we’re going to get that answer,” Leitha said. “We’re not running, we’re not going to hide.”

Public officials in charge of locating the victims were also grilled on Tuesday about their response to the Friday morning flooding, with several reporters appearing to get heated when an answer could not be provided.

Sheriff Leitha said he wasn't notified about the disaster until between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Lt. Colonel Ben Baker of the Texas Game Wardens stepped in and acknowledged the many questions but said the team is currently "focused on bringing people home."

Since the flooding, officials said at least 161 people are still missing in Kerr County. Gov. Greg Abbott warned that number could still rise as unaccounted victims are found.

“Know this: We will not stop until every missing person is accounted for. Know this also: There very likely could be more added to that list,” Abbott said.

Kerr County was one of the hardest hit areas, where Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp, lost 27 campers and counselors. Five campers and one counselor remain missing from the camp.

Several hundred people gathered for a worship ceremony at a high school stadium in Texas on Wednesday evening.

The floods are now the deadliest from inland flooding in the U.S. since 1976, when Colorado’s Big Thompson Canyon flooded, killing 144 people, said Bob Henson, a meteorologist with Yale Climate Connections.

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.