From Houston to Haines
Jess Gutiérrez
before making her home in Haines, Alaska, Jess Gutierrez lived in Houston, Texas, where she witnessed firsthand the devastation left by Hurricane Harvey. That experience changed the course of her life.For the past seven years, Gutierrez has worked with Team Rubicon, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes military veterans to respond to natural disasters around the world. The organization provides veterans with an opportunity to continue serving their communities after leaving the military while helping families recover from catastrophic events.
“I started because I was living in Houston when Hurricane Harvey hit,” she recalls. “It affected a lot of my neighbors. I was right there in those communities, so being able to train, develop those skills, and go back into my own town to help rebuild—it was huge for me.” After Harvey, Gutierrez joined recovery efforts in Florida, Puerto Rico, Montana, and Oklahoma. Then, in 2021, she arrived in Haines as part of a team of 13 construction workers from Houston to help rebuild homes destroyed by the catastrophic landslides that struck the community. “It was my first time in Alaska,” she says. “Coming here to help rebuild after the landslides was incredibly meaningful.” What began as a temporary deployment quickly became something much more permanent. “I was blown away,” she says. “Not only by the beauty—I never get tired of it—but by the community.” As a Mexican American, Gutierrez immediately felt welcomed. She soon developed close friendships with members of the local Tlingit community, relationships that remind her of her own childhood growing up in a large Mexican family. She likes to hang out with them. “Everybody’s laughing. They remind me of my family. Growing up, we were always together. Sometimes you didn’t even know if someone was your cousin or your uncle—you just knew they were family.” Life in Haines has also allowed Gutierrez to reconnect with traditions that had largely disappeared from her life in the city. One of the biggest changes has been growing much of her own food. “Food security has always been important in my family,” she explains. “Out here we grow potatoes, onions, garlic, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, cilantro—everything. We start everything indoors, and once the snow melts, we plant it outside.” Her interest in gardening goes beyond producing fresh vegetables. It reflects values passed down by her parents, who encouraged her to become self-reliant. “They always told me, ‘Learn carpentry, mechanics, electrical work. You might not always have money to pay someone else, so learn how to do it yourself.’” Those skills now allow her to help others in the community. She currently assists a woman who recently found herself managing a 37-acre property on her own. “I’m out there plowing, repairing vehicles, helping with the gardens,” Gutierrez says. “At the same time, she’s helping me every day.” As a military veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gutierrez says Haines has also given her something she never expected: peace. “The pace of life here is easier,” she says. She laughs as she points out that she still encounters danger. “Now it’s bears and moose,” she says. “If I see them, I just leave them alone, and it’s fine.” Living surrounded by nature has eased the stress accumulated through years of military service and urban life. Looking ahead, Gutierrez hopes to continue building the life she has discovered in Southeast Alaska—a life centered on community, self-sufficiency, and service. “This is what I want,” she says. “I don’t want to depend on the grocery store. This is what my grandparents knew how to do. It’s healthier, it’s meaningful, and it feels like home.” For Gutierrez, the journey that began by rebuilding homes after disasters ultimately led her to rebuild something of her own: a sense of belonging in the small community of Haines, Alaska, where she found the peace she had long been seeking. This article was made possible by a grant from the 2025 ACEJ: Alaska Arts Reporting Initiative at the Alaska Community Foundation. |