Supermodel recalls surviving 2004 tsunami after 20 years
Twenty years after surviving the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, supermodel Petra Nemcova revisited her harrowing experience in a recent Good Morning America interview with Diane Sawyer.
Nemcova, now 45 years old, was vacationing at Thailand’s Khao Lak resort with her boyfriend, photographer Simon Atlee, when the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. The massive waves, triggered by an undersea earthquake, demolished their bungalow and swept them both away.
Despite suffering a crushed pelvis, Nemcova managed to survive by holding onto a tree as the waters raged around her. The Czech-born model reflected during the interview, which included footage from her initial 2005 conversation with Sawyer, reported Daily Mail.
“It’s always difficult to go back [to] that moment when my life changed.”
The catastrophic tsunami claimed over 5,000 lives in Thailand alone and resulted in nearly 230,000 deaths across South Asia, reported Daily Mail.
In similar news, twenty years after the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, survivors in Thailand’s Ban Nam Khem village in Phan Nga province still carry vivid memories of that fateful December morning. For Neungduangjai Sritrakarn, then a 20 year old college freshman, the day began with her mother’s urgent warning to evacuate their seaside home.
Sensing danger from unusual whitecaps on the Andaman Sea, and heeding a relative’s warning, the family gathered essential documents and fled on motorbikes. As they sped away, Neungduangjai witnessed an unprecedented sight: a massive wall of water, taller than their house, approaching the shore.
In other news, Phuket is set to enhance its disaster preparedness with an integrated exercise aimed at tackling potential floods and mudslides. Scheduled for January 16, 2025, the event is designed to boost the island’s readiness and response capabilities in the face of such emergencies.
A significant planning session took place recently at the Phuket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office (DDPM Phuket).
