TORONTO -- Newfoundlanders have been lending a helping hand to their neighbours after an unprecedented amount of snow hit the Atlantic region.
Amidst the remnants of last week’s blizzard, there were handfuls of so-called “shovel brigades” and volunteers pushing snowblowers across St. John’s to help people move the mounds of snow.
In a single day, St. John’s saw the largest snowfall ever recorded in the city: a stunning 76.2 centimetres.
The display captured one of the province's greatest strengths -- neighbours being neighbourly.
Homeowner Hasan Hai told CTV News that after clearing the snow, he and his team "had a big hug and a visit and it became a big social thing."
The epic weather event has created its own class of celebrities in the city’s snowplow operators, who went out when everyone else stayed in.
A video went viral of a man snowboarding in the streets -- refusing to let a good snowfall go to waste. One comment online encapsulated the moment: “Only Newfoundlanders could be hit by a storm and make the rest of Canada feel like it's missing out.”
The region’s musicians also joined in on the fun. In the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” Derrick Vaters of Victoria, N.L. even played a song about the storm.
The internet has been flooded with images posted for laughs, which vastly outnumbered those conveying any sense of misery.Some people were seen taking advantage of the wall of snow right outside their doors by stuffing beverages into them to keep them cold.
Even NTV meteorologist Eddie Sheerr, who covered the storm extensively, seemed to have secured his place in Newfoundland lore.
But perhaps no one will be as closely linked to the blizzard as Levi Jacob Snow, who was born during the blizzard.
--
