One year ago today, southern Alberta was hit by the worst flooding in its history after several days of torrential rains. Entire communities were submerged, four people died, and residents in dozens of communities were left with $5 billion in damages.

While many people have recovered from the disaster, others are still in a holding pattern, wondering if they will ever be able to move forward.

Cindy Duperron's home in High Hiver was one of those hit by the worst of the flooding. One year later, she and her family are still living in a trailer in a temporary housing area called Saddlebrook, unsure of whether their house can ever be salvaged.

Duperron says she and her family haven't been able to move on because they still don’t know what kind of financial assistance they'll receive from the province's Disaster Recovery Program.

Duperron told CTV's Canada AM that she recently attended a High River council meeting and told officials with the province's Emergency Management Agency about the frustrating experiences she's faced in the DRP process.

"I described this last year like being locked in a room that is pitch black, clawing at the walls, trying to find a door that doesn't exist," she said.

Duperron is not alone. There are still 150 people living at Saddlebrook, down from the 1,200 residents the facility was built to house. All of them were left homeless after the floods and those who are left have nowhere else to go.

High River and Canmore were the towns worst hit by the flooding. The basement of Duperron's house filled with 2.5 metres (8 feet) of water, badly damaging the structural joists.

Her family was first told their cherished home would need to be bulldozed; then they were told everything could be fixed. She says she continues to get different answers from different people.

Duperron and her family have finally decided to leave, but they don't know if they can ever sell their home or how much it would cost to salvage. They need answers, they say, because all of their financial investments are tied up in the house where they raised their kids.

Duperron says she was pleased to see that Brad Geddes, the director of recovery with Alberta EMA, recently came to tour Saddlebrook. She says she has hope that her family will soon get answers.

"We were told at the beginning of this week that we would know by this past Monday as to how much funding was coming our way and how much of the cleanup was going to be covered," she said.

"Here it is Friday and we still haven't gotten our answer. But I'm putting great stock, both for High River and for ourselves, that Brad Geddes will be given the leeway he needs to give us help."