Nfld. & Labrador

Baby Snow arrives during record-breaking N.L. blizzard

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About a dozen shovel-wielding Good Samaritans came to the family's aid digging out their home

Levi Snow was born on Friday, during a massive blizzard. His father, Kyle Snow, posted this photo on a local storm information page asking for help shovelling out their home. People answered the call. (Kyle Snow/Facebook)

The last name couldn't be more perfect.

Levi Jacob Snow was born during the height of a raging blizzard that knocked out power and hit eastern Newfoundland so hard that the military has been called in.

It was 10:41 p.m. on Friday, about the same time that a record was broken at St. John's International Airport for the highest snowfall amounts for a single day.

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"He's a very happy and healthy baby. However, we knew there would be a mess in front of our house," said new dad Kyle Snow.

He asked for help digging out their St. John's home on social media, and by Sunday, 10 to 15 people were outside the house with shovels. The couple faced 2.5-metre snow drifts.

These kind people shovelled out a home in the centre of St. John's Sunday after seeing a post online about new parents who were ready to bring their baby home from hospital. (Gavin Simms/CBC)

"On the way here, I ran into a snowblower/plow operator and asked him ... well, I'd say I begged him to make a cut through the street," Kyle Snow said, which the driver did.

Snow said he is floored by the kind response he received just by making a plea for help online.

Get to hospital before the storm

Luckily the couple made it to the Health Sciences Centre before the storm hit, around 3 a.m. Friday.

"When we got to the hospital, it started snowing," Snow said Sunday, as Good Samaritans shovelled outside his home.

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"Every couple of hours I'd go out and have a look and the difference in those few hours was just incredible. The hospital was shaking and that's a pretty solid building."

Medical staff needed to know if the route home was safe before letting mom and baby out of hospital. Snow took a video to show them the now-clear route.

"We're going to have a really good story to tell him. It's one of love and one of people helping people."

Read more by CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

With files from Gavin Simms