What would you do if Snowmaggedon was your 1st winter in Canada?

Imagine having never seen snow or witnessed a North Atlantic winter.

Now, imagine 256 centimetres of snow being your first winter. This is V. Nikhilesh Paliath's reality.

"Its my first winter in this kind of weather," said Paliath. "I have experienced winter on an Indian scale but that is similar to the fall that we have here. [I'm experiencing] snow, blizzard, everything for the first time."

Paliath is a graduate student at Memorial University who arrived last autumn.

Like many living in St. John's, he shares a basement apartment with other people. In his fourth month here, a record snowfall landed on the city. At the height of the storm, with rapidly accumulating snow, Paliath was worried about being caved in inside his apartment.

"We started thinking of emergency exit plans. We got one window which wasn't covered," he said.

When the wind subsided, Paliath and his roommates realized that their doorway was full of snow. "We couldn't walk out because there was snow on the door almost close to my chest level," he said.

But to the group's surprise, they heard their neighbour come over and clear out the doorway for them.

"We didn't ask him … that was really overwhelming for us," Paliath said.

Paying the kindness forward

This act of kindness motivated Paliath and his roommate Luke MacIsaac to check in on others, especially those living in basement apartments.

One person they assisted was, like Paliath, a student living in a downstairs apartment. What was different with this apartment was that it was situated on a downward slope with the entrance away from the road.

"All her exits were covered with snow," said Paliath, explaining that the front of her door had at least three metres of snow which he, MacIsaac and other friends worked to shovel, helping to clear a safe pathway.

The storm that hit the region on Jan. 17 put many people in precarious situations, especially those living in basement apartments — often the choice of housing for international students. 

"As students we have to balance between part-time work and studies, said Paliath. "I don't think every student will be able to afford a main floor apartment. So, we might always [have to] choose or prefer a basement just because of the rent."

The fact that we had to compromise on safety [during the storm] to get a benefit of the rent kind of scares us.​​​​- V. Nikhilesh Paliath 

As of October 2019, nearly 4,200 rental units existed in St. John's. According to CMHC, for the year 2018 the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was nearly $800, plus utilities. A quick look at the local Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and MUN's Off-Campus Housing groups reveals the rate of basement apartments to be significantly cheaper than main floor apartment units.

Often rented by room, with shared access to a kitchen, washrooms and living rooms, the rent for such a (semi-furnished) space has been listed as low as $330 per month, plus utilities.

A variety of populations, including international students, choose to live in these basement apartments as they're less expensive to rent.

"The fact that we had to compromise on safety [during the storm] to get a benefit of the rent kind of scares us," said Paliath, whose eyes were opened to living in a basement during extraordinary circumstances such as the Jan. 17 blizzard. 

Because of this experience, Paliath said he's become more aware. "Now I know … I know how to choose an apartment," he said. He added that it's also made him more cognizant of ensuring the vents weren't covered in snow, especially before using the dryer or the kitchen range hood.

Despite looking at the silver linings, what lingered on Paliath's mind was paying his rent by the end of the month.

"If one is not working for six days ... [it] means that any part-time worker would lose three to four shifts per week," Paliath said.

"That is a bit scary because ultimately we have to pay our rent by the end of the month."

Paliath stocked up on groceries for 48 hours when the city first allowed grocery stores to open for a short window during the state of emergency.

This meant shelling out more money that wasn't budgeted for — and with the loss of work and added expenses, Paliath, like many other shift workers and students — found himself in a tight financial bind.

But he said that his biggest takeaway from the experience is his realization that it made him stronger.

"It gave me confidence that if such an extreme event happens, I kind of know how to go about it."

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