While many across the country are bemoaning the cold, wintry weather even though we’re now officially into spring, those complaints might pale in comparison to the experience of Newfoundlanders Janice Gould and Rick Cooper.
The couple left their home in Port au Choix in November, to spend the winter in Alberta. But in the beginning of March, they began receiving phone calls from neighbours warning them that their home was completely covered in snow.
Even in Canada, to see a house completely buried in the white stuff is a rarity. And for homeowners, it’s just downright scary. The couple jumped on a plane on March 11, and headed back east to rescue their house.
"I was shocked," Gould told CTV’s Canada AM on Thursday, describing her reaction after seeing the house with her own eyes. "There was just so much snow everywhere."
The couple went right to work. But despite getting most of the snow off of their roof with the help of neighbours, more than a week after returning home they’re still digging out. As fast as they moved the snow, it kept drifting back, thanks in large part to strong winds and another late-season snowfall on Monday.
"We had snowblowers and shovels," Cooper said. "But with the southwest winds at 110 (km/hour), as fast as we could push it off, we looked behind us and it was back on again."
Cooper said he’s not yet sure what the total damages to his home will be. The roof on their porch, however, has already collapsed, and other ports around the house have begun to sag.
Loaders and excavators did remove a good chunk, but the couple still have their work cut out.
"We just only got some of the windows unclear," Cooper said. "There is still a lot of snow to come out."
