Californians are scrambling for fresh water as taps and wells run dry amid the severe drought across the West that is causing many problems.

The death toll from devastating floods in Europe has soared to at least 126 on Friday, most in western Germany where emergency responders were frantically searching for missing people.

The reservoir created by Hoover Dam, an engineering marvel that symbolized the American ascendance of the 20th Century, has sunk to its lowest level ever, underscoring the gravity of the extreme drought across the US West.