More injured Haitians arrive at TIA as others get medical treatment

As the first Haitian evacuees continued to receive medical treatment at local hospitals Wednesday, more arrived at Tampa International Airport.

A military C-130 carrying 22 injured Haitians - 10 of them children - landed at the airport Wednesday night, about 24 hours after 15 evacuees were flown to Tampa for treatment.

Tampa General Hospital had admitted nine Haitian nationals with conditions ranging from fair to serious, hospital spokesman John Dunn said Wednesday of the first group. Some had burns; others have more serious trauma, Dunn said.

"They were very badly injured patients. Many of them are in the intensive care unit," said emergency medicine physician Catherine Carrubba.

The patients' range in age from 4 to 43. Hospital staff members are still evaluating some of them, and employees who speak Creole are translating for doctors and nurses, Dunn said.

Fifteen evacuees arrived on a C-130 about 9 p.m. Tuesday. Two people on the flight were military personnel requiring medical attention.

A triage center was set up in a lounge for international passengers. Most of the injured had broken bones; some had undergone amputations, officials said.

"When they landed they were quiet, they were thankful, they were very respectful," Carrubba said. "It was a group of people that was very relieved to see that there was some civilization at the other end of their journey."

Celillon Alteme, a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital, served as a translator for some of the patients. Alteme said one of the patients had stopped to get gas when the earthquake struck. The car burst into flames.

"My hope for them is to get better, physically and emotionally, before they can get home," Alteme said.

Most of the Haitian citizens will need to find temporary accommodations in Tampa while they recuperate, Alteme said.

Other hospitals that took in evacuees include University Community Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and Bayfront Medical Center, authorities said.