We’re leaving behind a year of tragedies around the world. From deadly natural disasters, to some of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history and the steady stream of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, 2017 delivered one tragic headline after another.

But there were some glimmers of hope amid the devastation. Here are some of the stories that restored our faith in humanity:

On-air rescue

As Hurricane Harvey pummelled Houston on Aug. 28, a reporter helped rescue a truck driver from flooding live on local TV.

Brandi Smith and cameraman Mario Sandoval were reporting on the severe weather when they spotted a truck stuck in several metres of water and a driver who was trapped inside. While still live on air, Smith flagged down a sheriff’s car towing a boat. The police helped the truck driver get out of his flooded cab, and Smith embraced the man after the rescue.

‘Faith builders’

There were numerous other stories of friends, neighbours and strangers helping one another as entire neighbourhoods flooded in the Houston area.

CTV National News: Houston submerged

A CTV News crew followed a group of local volunteers as they used their own boats to rescue dozens of flood victims across Houston.  The volunteers were aware of the risks of venturing out in gale-force winds, but said they had to do something to help.

“When you’ve gone through enough challenges in life, you gain more faith,” one of the men, Stem Bowie, told CTV News’ Chief Anchor Lisa LaFlamme. “I think trials are actually…faith builders.”

Florida hospitality

When a CTV News crew found itself without internet or phone service just hours before it was due to broadcast a live newscast from Naples, Fla. during Hurricane Irma, a retired doctor opened her doors and saved the night.

Dr. Cindy Peel, who just happened to have electricity on an otherwise dark, debris-littered street, welcomed the CTV News journalists and producers into her home, cooked them dinner and allowed them to use her Wi-Fi to put together the newscast.

#ChefsForPuertoRico

During an especially devastating hurricane season in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico took the brunt of Hurricane Irma, which left much of the island without electricity, running water and basic provisions.

As Puerto Ricans accused the U.S. government of failing to provide the necessary aid and infrastructure support, an unlikely hero stepped in to feed the people on the island.

Celebrity chef Jose Andres, who hails from Spain and owns a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington, D.C., arrived in Puerto Rico a few days after the hurricane hit with a plan to provide meals for the worst-hit residents.

He ended up sparking a massive aid effort, chronicled on social media with the hashtag #ChefsForPuertoRico.

The teams working with World Central Kitchen, a charity Andres founded after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, cooked countless meals and prepared thousands of sandwiches that have been distributed to people across Puerto Rico, even in hard-to-reach communities.

Two months after the hurricane hit, Andres was back on the island helping prepare hearty Thanksgiving meals for thousands more.

Young volunteers roll up their sleeves

Mexico earthquake

When a magnitude 7.1 quake struck Mexico City and surrounding areas on Sept. 19, the resulting devastation galvanized an army of mostly young volunteers, many of whom had never even picked up a shovel before.

Young Mexicans lined up to help search for survivors in the rubble, or hand out supplies, food and water bottles. So many Mexicans responded to the relief efforts that many shelters and relief organizations had to turn people away. 

Famous four-legged rescuer

Frida

Meanwhile, a canine member of a disaster rescue crew became a symbol of hope and gained an international social media following. Frida, a yellow Labrador retriever working with the Mexican navy, helped rescuers search for survivors in collapsed buildings.

Frida’s employer said that over the course of her six-year career, the eight-year-old dog has found 12 people alive in various earthquake disasters.

Canadian hero in Vegas

After a gunman opened fire on a country music festival in Vegas on Oct. 1, countless people risked their own lives in attempts to save others. The worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history will also be remembered for the many heroic actions on display that night.

One of those heroic tales involves a Canadian who took a bullet after stopping to help strangers amid the chaos. 

Steve Arruda of Calgary was shot in the leg, after helping others climb a fence to escape the festival grounds as bullets rained down on the crowd. Arruda told CTV Toronto he will never forget turning around after mounting the fence and seeing a woman behind him “just in sheer terror.”

“I grabbed her arm … helped her over and then there was a girl after that … and another two after that,” he said.

Arruda said he helped at least six or seven people in total before he was struck in the leg. He was later treated in hospital.

The dog who survived a wildfire

dog

Few things could provide comfort to those affected by the devastating October wildfire in California’s wine country.  More than 40 people died and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed as flames engulfed the region over several days.

But one family’s emotional reunion with the much-loved pet they thought had perished in the fire provided a rare break from tragic headlines. Izzy, a nine-year-old Bernese mountain dog, surprised its owners by bounding out of their fire-ravaged neighbourhood in a video that went viral on Facebook.

Rohingya children as symbols of hope

One of the worst humanitarian crises in recent years continues to unfold in southeast Asia, as Rohingya Muslims flee brutal violence in their native Myanmar.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees now live in squalid camps in Bangladesh, along the Myanmar border. Many of them have lost loved ones to what the United Nations and the U.S. have called ethnic cleansing.

Despite the horrible conditions, lack of food and sanitation in the refugee camps, the youngest Rohingya are still symbols of hope, as CTV’s Peter Akman found during his reporting trip in the region.

Although he documented the refugees’ struggles with disease and starvation, Akman also encountered plenty of smiling and laughing children. Their resilience and innocence provides hope for their parents and elders, even as they face an uncertain future. 

With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press