What should we do as orthopedic surgeons in catastrophic disasters?

Excerpt

On March 11, 2011, Japan was consecutively hit by three unprecedented disasters caused by The Great East Japan (Tohoku) Earthquake: an earthquake of magnitude 9.0, an incredibly powerful tsunami, and a nuclear power plant breakdown. As Japan had experienced The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in 1995, we were prepared to provide the victims with appropriate medical care to some extent. Nevertheless, providing medical treatment after the Tohoku earthquake was extremely difficult due to the fact that the types of injuries in Tohoku were quite different from those in Hanshin. Based on our experiences in Hanshin and Tohoku, I would like to send a message to the world concerning the role of orthopedic surgeons in catastrophic disasters. …