Utah governor asks residents to join him in ‘weekend of prayer’ for rain

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) is asking residents to join him in a “weekend of prayer” for rain amid a statewide drought emergency.

“By praying collaboratively and collectively, asking God or whatever higher power you believe in for more rain, we may be able to escape the deadliest aspects of the continuing drought,” Cox said in a video on Friday.

The governor said the current lack of water has the potential to damage crops, hurt wildlife and cause deadly wildfires.

“I’ve already asked all Utahns to conserve water by avoiding long showers, fixing leaky faucets, and planting water-wise landscapes. But I fear those efforts alone won’t be enough to protect us,” Cox said in a press release.

“We need more rain and we need it now. We need some divine intervention. That’s why I’m asking Utahns of all faiths to join me in a weekend of prayer June 4 through the 6th,” he added.

The state of emergency for the drought was declared on May 13, when “the statewide snowpack reached approximately 81 percent of normal and peaked 10 days early, and all forecasts for spring runoff for the state are below 76 percent of the state seasonal average,” the governor said.

California is also experiencing the effects, with the governor declaring a drought state of emergency on May 10.