Society

Memorial of shoes honors thousands of Hurricane Maria victims feared dead in Puerto Rico

Saturday, June 2, 2018
A growing memorial outside of Puerto Rico's capitol building contains more than a thousand pairs of shoes to honor the thousands feared dead as a result of Hurricane Maria.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- A memorial outside of Puerto Rico's capitol building contains more than a thousand pairs of shoes to honor the thousands feared dead as a result of Hurricane Maria.

The memorial began Friday as an impromptu display but has since grown rapidly. It comes just days after a Harvard study suggested there could have been as many as 4,645 deaths related to the September 2017 hurricane.
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The official death toll from the storm is 64.

"Now is the time to say goodbye to the relatives. It is the time for sorrow, it is the time to hug each other, it's the time to really say goodbye in honor and in dignity. This is a sacred place right now," organizer Gloribel Delgado said.
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Several mourners arrived at the memorial with signs; one visitor's sign said her father was among the dead, while another woman held a sign with the word "genocide" in Spanish.

Puerto Rico's Institute of Statistics said it has sued the U.S. territory's health department and demographic registry seeking to obtain data on the number of deaths following Hurricane Maria as a growing number of critics accuse the government of lacking transparency.

People walk next to a gas station flooded and damaged by the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Wednesday, September 20, 2017.none
People walk through a flooded area after the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Wednesday, September 20, 2017.none
Residents move aluminum panels from an intersection after Hurricane Maria hit the eastern region of the island, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.none
Electricity poles and lines lay toppled on the road after Hurricane Maria hit the eastern region of the island, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.none
People walk next to a gas station flooded and damaged by the impact of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Wednesday, September 20, 2017.none
A family helps clean the road after Hurricane Maria hit the eastern region of the island, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, September 20, 2017.none
Trees stand barren and debris lays on the roadside, caused by Hurricane Maria in Road Town, on the island of Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, early Wednesday, Sept. 20.none
A woman covers herself with a plastic bag as she makes her way to work as Hurricane Maria approaches the coast of Bavaro, Dominican Republic, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.none
A man rescues a rooster from his flooded garage as Hurricane Maria hits Puerto Rico in Fajardo, on September 20, 2017.none
David Cruz Marrero watches the waves at Punta Santiago pier hours before the imminent impact of Maria on Tuesday, September 19, 2017.none
A woman and a child rest on cots while waiting at Humacao Arena refugee center for the imminent impact of Maria in in Humacao, Puerto Rico on Tuesday.none
People on the island of Martinique survey the effects of Hurricane Maria on Tuesday.none
The island of Guadeloupe suffers flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria on Tuesday.none
A picture shows an uprooted tree on the beach in Saint-Pierre, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19, 2017.Creative Content
A picture shows damages at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19, 2017.Creative Content
People stand next to debris at a restaurant in Le Carbet, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19, 2017.Creative Content
People clear debris in Saint-Pierre, on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, on September 19, 2017.Creative Content
A picture taken on September 19, 2017 shows the powerful winds and rains of hurricane Maria battering the city of Petit-Bourg on the French overseas Caribbean island of GuadeloupeCreative Content
A photo shows debris in a street in Marigot, on the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin, as preparations are made for the arrival of Hurricane Maria on September 19, 2017.Creative Content


The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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