2 / 34
AN EARTHQUAKE TRANSFORMS A NATION
AND A HOSPITAL
On January 12, 2010, Haiti endured the
worst natural disaster ever to strike our
hemisphere when at 4:53 p.m.
a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck
less than 15 miles southwest of Haiti’s
capital, Port au Prince. The massive
earthquake killed an estimated
230,000 people, injured over
300,000 and left over
1.6 million homeless.
In two-and-a-half days, a hospital of
7 3 beds and two operating rooms was
turned into a hospital with 300 beds and
four to six operating rooms. Overnight, 50 people
who had never met before worked together as
a coordinated unit.
”
–
Stephen Fletcher M.D.,
New Jersey General & Vascular Surgeon
5