Jim Gulley had just begun his work in Haiti in 2010 when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck, trapping him and his colleagues under the Hotel Montana for three days. Immediately following the disaster, he watched aid pour into the country. But months later, people seemed to have forgotten about the country that was still desperately trying to rebuild.
Gulley, who lives in Colorado, now spends two weeks of every month in Haiti and two weeks traveling the United States urging volunteers, churches, and students to remember the earthquake and donate their time or services to helping Haiti.
Gulley, a Global Ministries Spokesperson, will speak in Park City on Sunday.
“I share my experience and remind people about what they can do now,” Gulley said. “To some extent, it seems people have moved on. Right after the earthquake when there was not enough water or food people couldn’t get on a plane fast enough to come help. And now, when was the last time you saw Haiti in the news?”
Gulley said it will cost $14 billion for the country to rebuild and while $9 billion was pledged by non-profits and other countries, less than $4 billion has actually been spent in the country.
“It is understandable because less that two percent of the money spent in the country was by the Haitian government. They really have no capacity to respond and so much of the government is still operating out of makeshift tents. There was a cholera outbreak, a storm during the rainy season destroyed 8,000 tents, and electricity was out for a month, it is slow and complicated to get things done.”
Gulley’s personal experience in the earthquake only strengthened his resolve to help the country. He was walking through the lobby of the hotel to meet world health leaders for dinner when the quake hit.
“I remember turning around and seeing the whole floor rise. The next thing I remember was the six-story building coming down and thinking ‘this is how I am going to die,'” he said.
Six of them were trapped in a five-by-eight foot space. Gulley and two others were relatively unharmed, but his boss and colleague were pinned by a beam.
“We were in there one night and early the next morning we heard voices and told them we needed help, we thought we were about to be rescued. We didn’t hear voices again for two days,” he said.
Gulley and some others who were trapped in the hotel were finally rescued by French firemen. His boss and colleague did not make it.
“I found out later that a fireman crawled under the rubble and gave them water, morphine and brioche and stayed with him until he died,” he said. “I wanted to continue working there and be along side these people who didn’t have the choice to leave.”
Gulley said he has seen improvement in Haiti in the last two years and that the volunteers who come and help build houses and employ Haitians are a big help.
“When people ask what they can do to help, the first thing I tell them to do is read the history of Haiti,” Gulley said. “The United States has been tied with Haiti for over 100 years and played a huge role in the country, why would we stop now.”
Gulley will speak at the Park City Community Church on Sunday, April 15 at 9 a.m.