Supermodel Petra Nemcova, who survived the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, opens up about the harrowing experience 20 years later. She shares the pain of witnessing children's screams and the remarkable resilience she displayed clinging to a palm tree for eight hours.
Twenty years ago, Petra Nemcova was waking up the morning after Christmas and preparing to leave her vacation in Thailand when disaster struck. In 2004, Nemcova was 25 years old and vacationing with her fashion photographer boyfriend, Simon Atlee, when a tsunami ripped through their bungalow along the Andaman coast. A 9.5-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia caused the world's worst tsunami.
Atlee was swept away by the waves and not found for three months, and the young supermodel was forced to cling to a palm tree for eight hours to survive. ABC News’ Diane Sawyer interviewed Nemcova ahead of the 20th anniversary of the tragic natural disaster. The now-45-year-old said that the pain of hearing children's screams and not being able to help them is still 'strongly' with her 'every single day.' 'It's always difficult to go back in that moment when my life changed,' she told Sawyer. On Dec. 26, 2004, Nemcova and Atlee were staying in Khao Lak, Thailand – preparing to end their trip when the tsunami hit. Speaking of depending on a palm tree for her survival, Nemcova said, 'I went into this stillness, into almost like a meditative state, because I knew if I start panicking, you lose more energy. And I needed all my energy to keep alive.' Atlee's body was discovered and identified on March 3, 2004. He was among nearly 230,000 people believed to have died during the tsunami. It was a miracle that Nemcova survived. When she was rescued, her clothes had been torn off, and she suffered from a fractured pelvis and internal injuries, GMA reported. The people who rescued Nemcova were strangers. They gave her clothes, put her on a mattress and pushed her through debris to get to medical aid. 'Those people were ready to risk their lives for strangers,' Nemcova said. 'And that shows you the best of humanity'
TSUNAMI PETRA NEMCOVA SURVIVAL DISASTER HUMANITY
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