Puerto Rico Unity March draws thousands to D.C. in plea for disaster aid

WASHINGTON — Thousands of demonstrators packed the National Mall on Sunday in support of disaster relief for hurricaneravaged Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican flags flapped in the wind as speakers — one after another — gave impassioned pleas for funding and support for Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. The hurricane made landfall in September and devastated the U.S. territory of 3.4 million people.

By afternoon, hundreds had amassed in front of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the Unity March for Puerto Rico.

Many more had showed up in the morning to march from the U.S. Capitol, down Independence Avenue toward the Lincoln Memorial.

Two months after the hurricane, more than half of the island is still without power, according to a Puerto Rican government website tracking disaster relief. About 10 percent of the island’s residents still lack access to running water.

Rafael Martinez, 55, arrived from New York City early Sunday morning with his wife, Jay Ortiz, and their two young daughters to help demand government support for the island.

“This is [President] Trump’s Katrina,” Martinez said. “Enough is enough. People are starving, they don’t have clean water and some don’t even have roofs. We need to help these people.”