HALIFAX – Sometimes a bad winter storm can bring a community together.
On Thursday, Victoria Naugle was sick of sitting at her house on Piper Street in Dartmouth and waiting for a plow to come down the street and into her cul-de-sac.
While a plow had made an appearance on the other end of Piper Street, it did not enter the cul-de-sac, so Naugle and her grandmother decided to take matters into their own hands.
READ MORE: Residents on Lower Sackville street take snow clearing into their own hands
“We picked up the shovels. We went to the top of the street. We started shoveling out the giant snowbank that the personal plow left for us and all of our neighbours started flocking out after that and giving us a helping hand,” she said.
Residents in the cul-de-sac decided to grin and bear the metre-high snow so they could help shovel one another out. The feeling of community soon overtook feelings of frustration.
“All of us here in the community just walked out of our driveways and started shoveling the street. It was nice,” said Karen Champion.
“It was a nice feeling to see that: everybody coming together as a team.”
“It actually melted my heart and made me realize that yeah, there are good people out there,” Naugle said.
The group of neighbours managed to create a path wide enough for one car through the snow.
Murray Jack lives near Naugle and was at work while his neighbours were hard at work. He said he was moved by the kind gesture when he got home and saw the end product.
“It’s just awesome. You know you can rely on these people if you really had to. It’s wicked good,” he said.
Champion said the shared experience has forged an even stronger relationship with her neighbours.
The group hopes their story inspires others to lend a hand during the tough winter storm clean up.
“If you see someone out there who is struggling, trying to shovel, offer a hand. To get things done, you have to work together,” said Cecilia Nicholas.
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