Orlando candlelight vigil at Eola will mark second anniversary of Hurricane Maria

The Central Florida community will come together to hold the vigil on Friday night at the Walt Disney Amphitheater in Lake Eola Park to commemorate the second anniversary of the devastating storm that claimed 4,645 lives in Puerto Rico.

With the destruction from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas and six currently active storms circling around North America – including Tropical Depression Imelda flooding Texas today – memories of the hurricane which struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017 can easily fade for those who did not lose loved ones or communities.

Following the storm, the U.S. government was slow to respond and under-counted the number of dead and injured. President Trump denied the reality of the climbing death toll and was ridiculed for throwing paper towel rolls into a crowd of Hurricane Maria survivors gathered at a relief center.

On Friday night, faith leaders, Maria survivors, and organizations such as Alianza for Progress, Faith in Florida and Misión Boricua will be in attendance to show their support.

“On the second anniversary of the Hurricane Maria, we remember the 4,645 lives lost and their families after government negligence as a result of a system of oppression that seems to forget that we are all created equal,” Deputy Director of Faith in Florida Maria Revelles said.

The vigil will start at 6:30 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. The event is free with a request to RSVP at on the Facebook page.

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This article appears in Global Peace Film Fest.