Exshaw flood victims continue fight for disaster recovery payments

Alberta residents who lost their homes in Exshaw in last year's flood say it has been an uphill battle trying to get compensation to rebuild.

They say there isa lack of co-ordination between insurance companies and the province's Disaster Recovery Program (DRP).

• Province looks to pay 90% ofDRPflood claims by March 31
• VIDEO |Alberta floods: a look back at the first 48 hours

For Margaret Blokhouse, it has been a year she won't soon forget. She is even having trouble sleeping with all the stress and anxiety.

"We just moved back into our house this week," she said. "Thank God we had money in savings because it's gone."

Alberta's Opposition Leader Danielle Smith heard from many others in the same situation ata townhall meeting in the hamlet about 90 kilometres west of Calgary on Saturday.

Flood victims must speak out, says Wildrose

She says flood victims must speak out and fight for the disaster assistance they deserve and her advice is to soldier on, which she has also been telling herconstituents in High River, Alta.

"I know there have been a limited amount of successes in High River, it sounds like there are some successes in Exshaw, but the main thing is residents just have to be their own advocate," she said.

"It's very frustrating that after a year there are still so many people displaced and so many people have just not received the compensation necessary to get their lives back in order."

Smith says she isencouragedthat theAlbertagovernmentis now managing the program after the company in charge did not haveits contract renewed.