High River flood: counselling centre in high demand 1 years later

A year and a half since the flood of 2013, the High River Counselling Centre is still very busy helping people cope with the psychological aftermath.

The disaster caused physical destruction in the town, but the human toll is still being accounted for, said Thalia Anderen, associate director of counselling initiatives.

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The centre was initially opentwo and half days a week, but Anderen says they now have three counsellors working four days a week.

"They're busy. They're seeing anywhere between six, seven, sometimes eight people a day, she said.

Anderen says the centre has provided more than 1,800 hours of counselling.

Doug Munn, manager of human impact services for the town, says the counselling centre has helped residents recover.

A need for professional counselling in the High River area had been identified before the flood of 2013.But the disaster made it urgent, so with the backing of some private donors, it opened its doors one year ago this week.

However that funding will run out at the end of March.

"People need someone to talk to. We didn't have that service prior to the flood so them coming in here to provide that is important."

Anderen says in some cases the flood amplified already existing problems such as alcoholism.

"It's like peeling the layers of an onion back. You start to realize that people were sometimes more affected by the flood than they thought, she said.

In some cases the emotional problems are connected to clients struggles to repair or replace flood-damaged homes, Anderen says.

When the one-year anniversary of the flood arrived, some clients said their emotions were, "triggered all over again, she says.