MIAMI – Puerto Ricans in South Florida are planning to join a nationwide demonstration marking the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria's destructive path through Puerto Rico and protest the White House's response in the aftermath of the storm.

"This was a matter of life or death, and we were let down," said Adriana Vargas, an aid volunteer from Miami, who helped deliver donations to the island for months after the hurricane.

Demonstrators also want to voice their disdain at President Donald Trump's comments earlier this week when asked about the new official death count of nearly 3,000 deaths, and claiming the U.S. did a "fantastic job" rendering aid to the island in the aftermath of the storm.

Groups plan to protest outside Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, and then gather at John Prince Memorial Park.

"We cannot let people forget and we need to stand for those who died," Vargas said.

For more details on the event, visit https://caravanamaralago.com.

