[OKSooner]

"Burning Man attendees referred to as ‘Burners’ prayed to the ‘playa gods’ to make it stop."

Well, their problem is obvious...

[alloysteel]

The worst thing that can happen to an arid desert is for a heavy rainfall, on soil so concreted that the moisture cannot sink in, and standing water is everywhere if there is not sufficient drainage. If there is drainage, flash floods result.

Those people are fortunate not to DROWN in that saline clay that makes up the playas.