With memories of the decimated country fresh in his mind, Dalton, Ga., surgeon Rod Rodriguez is preparing for his third trip to Haiti, one year after a major earthquake there killed or displaced more than 1 million people.
Rodriguez is among dozens of Chattanooga-area medical personnel who have journeyed to the Caribbean island, offering their medical skills in the aftermath of the devastating 7.0 earthquake.
Poorly constructed, multi-story structures “pancaked” during the Jan. 12 quake, resulting in many crush injuries and widespread amputation of limbs, Rodriguez said.
“It was utter chaos. The infrastructure and whatever medical services there were were just completely overwhelmed,” he said.
Rodriguez took his first trip just a few weeks after the disaster and spent much of his time treating infections after amputations done in field hospitals under desperate conditions, he said.