Alabama surgeon: 'I was just in shock'

Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) -- Along with the city's power and phone service, the hospital's pager network went down when the tornado hit.

But like nearly every doctor in Tuscaloosa, orthopedic surgeon Brian Claytor didn't need his beeper to tell him to head to the trauma center.

Claytor said he didn't know what to expect when he arrived at DCH Regional Medical Center on Wednesday.

"The emergency room was just overflowing," said Claytor, 38. "I was just in shock when I walked in to see the sheer volume of injured people and the severity of the injuries."

Patients filled the hallway and every available room. Injuries ranged from minor cuts, lacerations and broken ankles to severe trauma from debris that sliced patients' heads, chests and abdomens.

The wounded screamed for help. Others scrambled through the chaotic scene, searching for loved ones. Pickups screeched into the emergency room driveway with injured loved ones helpless and bleeding in the truck beds.

Early on, the hospital relied on backup generator power. The fierce tornado clipped the back of the hospital. Water and air conditioning were lost through most of the night.

The trauma center turned into a triage unit, much like a war zone hospital. With systems down, doctors, nurses, X-ray technicians and other staff members went into overdrive.

"In the midst of that, we're trying to identify the worst of those injuries and try to get them dealt with as best we could," Claytor said.

"It's just impossible to adequately prepare yourself for that situation. But fortunately, after that initial shock wore off, people got down to work."

Over the next six hours, more than 650 patients were treated at the facility. "That's a staggering number," he said.

Another 150 patients were treated at a sister hospital across town. At DCH, about eight orthopedic surgeons, another 50 to 75 doctors and surgeons, and dozens more staffers descended on the hospital.

Many came to work on that devastatingly historic night despite losing their own homes and cars, or even hearing that cousins and other relatives were missing, he said.

"Everybody showed up and got to work. It was amazing to see.

"Unfortunately, a number of the patients who did get here weren't able to be saved, and that's tough to deal with," Claytor said. "One of the hardest things to deal with was seeing some of the parents carrying in children, babies, infants who had terrible injuries -- some of them clearly unlikely to survive.

"Just watching that unfold in front of you is something no one wants to see."

He said he's amazed by the dedication of staff, not only here but from doctors across the region who offered their services.

Claytor, still dressed in scrubs Saturday and having worked nearly every hour since the storm, held back tears.

"It's just an amazing, emotional roller coaster for these people," he said. "Once we were able to take a break from it and think about it, it was heartbreaking."