Alfred Abuhamad, MD, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at EVMS, was in Haiti concluding a class for local physicians and midwives in the use of ultrasound when the earthquake struck.

"At around 4:48 pm, as I was asking if anybody had any questions," Dr. Abuhamad says, "the ground shook violently."

"The Haiti ISUOG outreach program has been a successful collaboration between ISUOG, Zanmi Lasante, Partners in Health, the Haitian Minister of Health and General Electric Corporation," Dr. Abuhamad writes in a full account of his experiences for the ISUOG. "As part of this collaboration, ten ultrasound machines were donated to Zanmi Lasante health centers and two prior ISUOG outreach trips, in December 2008 and May 2009, provided basic training in ultrasound."

Dr. Abuhamad and the ISUOG team were working from the mountainous city of Cange, about 40 miles northeast of Port au Prince. The Cange complex includes a small hospital, outpatient clinics, a school, a church, housing and educational classrooms.

"We were initially all stunned for a moment and did not know what was happening, but soon realized that it was an earthquake," Dr. Abuhamad writes. "A sense of panic prevailed in the room, followed by a scramble to the door. We ran outside of the building and moved to higher ground."

Without cell phone coverage, the team learned of the severity of the earthquake and the damage in Port au Prince from the compound's single Internet access point. "Multiple aftershocks were felt throughout the night," he says.

Wednesday morning, after declining an offer to evacuate, the team prepared for the expected casualties.

"It quickly became obvious that several victims would make their way up to Cange for care, given the total lack of medical support in Port au Prince," he writes. "Most medical facilities crumbled and a substantial number of physicians and nurses were missing. In planning for the influx of casualties, the church in the Cange compound, the only facility with fairly open floor layout, was converted to a triage/ED area and was stocked with supplies."

"The flow of patients was continuous throughout the next day. By Thursday evening patients filled every corner of the church. Their cries for help filled the air and echoed throughout the church. Although we tried to provide some relief with Morphine, the pain from most injuries was clearly too severe to treat. Dislocated hips and shoulders, major bone fractures, severely lacerated hands and feet, facial contusions, and deep puncture wounds; we felt so helpless."

The group left Haiti Saturday. Click here for a more complete description of the team's experiences.