A Year after the Floods: Isom IGA Serves As A Beacon of Hope

Following a 12-hour deluge that defied even the most improbable odds, eastern Kentucky found itself grappling with the aftermath of flooding that rewrote the landscape and brought a resilient community to its knees.

And yet, just one year later Isom IGA has not only resurrected its shelves and aisles, but its spirit, emerging as a vital haven and a symbol of a community's unyielding tenacity.

The catastrophic flooding occurred July 27, 2022 in eastern Kentucky, which brought 7-10 inches of rain overnight and raised the North Fork Kentucky River about 11 feet above flood stage — an occurrence the National Weather Service deemed a one in 1,000 chance of happening in the area.

The store after the flood waters receded.

Following the Kentucky floods, Isom IGA was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. Products were knocked off shelves after more than six feet of water had crested and retreated inside the store. The health department had condemned the store, which meant it needed to be completely emptied and sanitized before any rebuilding efforts began.

Owner Gwen Christon was shocked and felt helpless. It was one of the greatest challenges she ever faced, and she has battled breast cancer twice. Yet this flooding seemed to hit her spirit even harder.

“It was just that I could do nothing. Absolutely nothing,” Gwen said. “With breast cancer, I can eat regularly. I could take my chemotherapy. I could do my radiation. I was doing some kind of action to get better. With the flood, it was just overwhelming. There was nothing I could do.”

But the community needed a grocery store, as Isom IGA was the only full-service grocer for miles. Gwen decided to reopen and get back to work. For nine months, Isom IGA worked to rebuild with help from their licensed distribution center MDI, the Isom community, and many people and organizations across the state and country.

The store is fully operational and better than before, Gwen says. They hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on April 5, 2023 to officially welcome shoppers back and return as the community hub they were known as before the flood.

"The store is my home away from home, and the employees and community are an extension of my family," Gwen said following the flood. "You think of it as a store but it's actually a gathering place for everyone. This is where friends meet friends. They come here not only to buy groceries but to socialize and spend time together."

Residents can find all of their produce, dairy, and meats. New additions include a barbecue smoker in store, grab & go section, and a Hunt Brothers Pizza.

New additions to the Isom IGA include a Hunt Brothers Pizza, barbecue smoker, and grab & go section.

“Having the store come back where we are actually is a very, very big help for our community,” Gwen said. “Because we are in a rural area. And going north, the closest grocery store we have is 25 miles. Going south the closest grocery store is like 15 miles.”

“[Isom IGA] has brought a lot of life to people. It's good to be able to see their smiles again and have great conversations — some sort of normalcy for these people seems to go a long way,” said Gwen’s son Simon, who also works at the store. 

It has also been improving lives through expanded employment and beyond. Isom IGA has been able to not only maintain its team of 25 employees from before the flood, but they have also grown the staff count to 32. With school back in session, the local grocer has helped host their fundraisers. And they are currently building a designated community room.

“If the families want to use it for birthday parties or different organizations want to use it for meetings they can,” Simon said. “We'll be able to house that right here inside of the store.”

MDI Has Been A Key Partner

Although Gwen has several years of experience as a grocery store owner, rebuilding a store from scratch was totally new for her.

“I've worked in this store for 25 years, and then the owner sold it to me, and it was already intact. Equipment was already here," she said. "The decor packet was already up, groceries were already on the shelf, but the flood literally took it back down to the four walls.”

MDI had a complete crew that took care of all aspects of rebuilding. They handled everything from the flooring, shelving, and resupplying of groceries. To bring some more individuality to the store,  a new IGA décor package was installed in which MDI and Gwen customized to honor the Isom community.

“So basically, all we had to do is just say, 'Yes, I like this,' or, 'No, I don't like that.' And they did it all. It was a turnkey job when they finished,” Gwen said. “We cannot praise MDI any more than anything. We are so thankful.”

Isom IGA is the only full-service grocery store for 10+ miles in the Isom, Kentucky community.

Work Ahead for the Community

Isom IGA will prove to be a focal point as the Letcher County community continues to rebuild. Even a year later, many residents still do not have a home.

“Most people did not have proper insurance," Simon explained. "You also have community of people who lost all of their physical documentation. Going online and reapplying to get certain things that FEMA demanded that they had to have was difficult, so a lot of people didn't get assistance; a lot of our people didn't have any type of insurance to help them. There’s a lot of people still battling that rebuilding process, and it's hard to see. You do see some progress, but then again, there's still a whole lot more that needs to be done.”

Gwen said they are continuing to work with local distribution centers (similar to a food bank). They find companies that donate products to this warehouse, the distribution center then gives these food products to people in the Eastern Kentucky community.

“This is probably one of the one of the larger poverty-stricken areas where we live. And we are getting a little bit of help from churches who are local (we call them local, even though they're within two- or three-hours drive) that are still coming in and still actually rebuilding people's homes, we still have a lot of people whose homes are not rebuilt,” Gwen said.

Isom IGA will have a community food bank drive in the next couple of months, which should help supply the local distribution center with more items for those in need. The grocer will place brown paper bags full of useful food products and cleaning supplies on display. Customers will then have the option to purchase a bag that will be donated to the distribution center. Isom has been doing this for about five to six years.

The Next Generation

Gwen has previously said that once she is ready for retirement, she will pass on ownership of the store to Simon.

“My initial thoughts about it are, 'How am I going to be able to fill those shoes?' She's been here since 1973 and has devoted 50 years of her life to this store and this community,” Simon said.

“So initially, I’d be kind of worrying about how will I be accepted and looked at as far as the decisions my mom would respond to. But I came to realize that we are in a perfect place where we have a loving community. Everybody's very inviting. Everybody works hard. And when people see that you're working hard, and you're putting in the effort, and you genuinely care for them, that's all they need to see to be able to accept you for who you are.”

Gwen only had a few words to say on passing the store on to her son. The same words that have gotten her this far.

“The only thing I have to add is to always remember one word, and that's called JOY: Jesus, others, and yourself. Always have JOY.