On Monday, April 3, 2017, at 2.30 p.m. a bomb exploded in the Saint Petersburg metro, killing 14 and injuring 51 innocent people. More than half of the deceased were under the age of 30.

After the bomb exploded, the authorities evacuated and closed off the entire metro system, leaving five million people without their main means of public transportation. As 6 p.m. struck, thousands of people, fresh out from work and school were not able to return home as usual. With the metro closed, all the available public transportation quickly reached capacity. All taxis were booked and the whole city was paralyzed by the resulting traffic.

The governor of Saint Petersburg immediately ordered that all available public transportation, including buses, trams, trolleybuses and trains, be free of charge. Roads tolls were eliminated. Private taxi companies such as Yandex.Taxi, Taxovichkoff and Uber similarly transported passengers free of charge.

Those who had cars launched online groups and chats. Users used the hashtag #domoi, meaning, to home, to connect and coordinate people who still needed rides. Crowds of elderly people who did not have iPhones or Wifi were left stranded at bus-stops in the cold. However, those who had cars prioritized the elderly population. Gas stations such as Gazpromneft provided free fuel. Vkontakte — the Russian equivalent of Facebook — Instagram and Twitter were filled with messages of people volunteering to offer rides and get others home safely.

As the traffic jams got worse, only to be dissolved late at night, a number of cafés offered tea, coffee or just spaces to rest to those stuck in the city-center. Those who had centrally-located apartments tweeted and invited stranded strangers to use their couch for the night. Volunteers for blood donations soared immediately after the terrorist attack.

My mother, who happened to be one metro station away from where the bombing happened, was also helped out by a generous driver who gave her a free ride home. The drive, which usually takes thirty minutes, ended up taking two hours due to traffic jams.

Such altruistic and honorable behavior, generosity and willingness to help others gives hope for humanity and for a better future. As terrorist attacks hit one city after another, people need to stay courageous, open and kind. Such acts of humanity are usually not widely-reported, but are nonetheless worth sharing.

Saint Petersburg faced this tragedy with strength and dignity. My friend Sergey Dozorov put it beautifully: “St. Petersburg is now one big heart, which beats in a rhythm of mutual support, sympathy and hope!” Despite horror and terror, the people of Saint Petersburg showed their unified human spirit. This is the city I love with all my heart.