June 20, 2013 marked a turning point in the history of High River and its residents.

Toby Malloy, with Foothills Counselling Services, says people who went through it all can still be affected by certain triggers.

"There are some classic ones, in terms of heavy rainfall and the way the water table is looking and I think we all know that it takes us back to that event, which was a hugely significant event in our community and the surrounding communities as well, but particularly in High River, she says.

Malloy says we have an incredible nbervous system that's fine tuned to respond to threats whetherthey're ral or perceived and whether they're happening right now or they're reminding us in nthe form of a trigger of something that's happened in the past that we believe might happen in the future.

"Think about what's before us in terms of where we actually are at, what we know about our own safety, about how things are different now, but to also honor that it was a huge experience," Malloy says.

She says when it comes to alleviating children's fears, that can be aided by talking about the beauty of the town, its special events and just being with them.

Questions, comments, or story ideas? Email us at news@okotoksonline.com