the tragedy gives us an opportunity to put a meaning in our life. >> that was petra nemcova when i firsttra today. >> i feel like everything changed. my personal life, my professional life, my values, my purpose in life. >> but even as she healed, she kept reliving the screams of the children, propelled by that water just out of reach. >> children trying to scream for help. i couldn't go and swim to them or try to help them because i couldn't move, move my legs. i couldn't do anything. that pain, it's with me so strongly every single day. that day of the tsunami, i didn't have a choice to help children. but today and every day, i have a choice. and that keeps moving me every day. and we all have a choice every day. >> and that's why two decades ago, she had an idea she would use her own money and time to try to build an army of volunteers to keep helping the victims of natural disasters, long after the world's attention has moved on. >> the two three months after natural disasters. it's usually the time when also different organizations leave. the depression goes deeper. and that's when

supermodel petra nemcova survived a devastating tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people.dramatic survival and her message of hope for others. here's abc's diane sawyer. oh. >> it's the morning after christmas, 2004. families wander onto a beach. no idea of the terror to come. they look up and see a baffling apparition on the horizon, almost like a towering white wall of water. then something may be someone is swallowed up. the wave stop. someone on shore seems frozen in place and it's too late to run. scream. all around. merciless waves of water hit hundreds of miles of shoreline. in some places at 40 to 50mph. this man sucked under as it barrels into towns, the water's grinding up steel beams, metal roofs, houses, trees, busses and cars float away. the child clings to a tree. and also in is a 25 year old woman. i first met her right after the nightmare. >> it's like sometimes things happen, you know, and it can. they can happen any second. you don't. you can be the most beautiful moment and then the next second. >> her name is petra nemcova, one of those people who seeme

i first met her right after the nightmare, petra nemcova.d simon were on vacation in taiwan in their bungalow. >> it pulled us out and we were outside. >> as she's carried away, the final thing she sees and hears is simon. >> he can scream, petra, that's the last time i saw him. >> that was petra when i first met her. this is petra today. all the time that's traveled between this. >> almost 20 years. >> yeah. did you dread coming to talk again? >> no. i was excited to see you. it's always difficult to go back in that moment when my life changed. >> in the deadly chaos she holds onto the top of a tree for nearly eight hours, every bone in her pelvis is crushed and she's completely naked. the water has torn off her clothes. 20 years ago, i flew in to that hellscape left by the tsunami, the suffering beyond despair. in all, there were 230,000 people will die, including the man with the piercing blue eyes swept away when an instant meets an eternity. strangers give her clothes and gently place her on a floating mattress to steer her through the

it can be the most beautiful moment. >> her name is petra nemcova.oslovakia and becomes one of the most famous models in the world. on runways, covers of magazines. she also found the man of her dreams simon atley, a gifted photographer with piercing blue eyes. they were on vacation in thailand in their bungalow, packing to go home. >> there was just such a second. just pulled us out, out of the bungalow. we were outside. >> she is hurdling forward, trying to grab on to a floating roof, anything. >> when i grabbed it, i felt i was able to stand up. but there was nothing under. it was empty. it sucked my legs. >> the crushing debris slammed into her body, breaking her bones. >> my pelvis was broken, so my legs didn't work. >> as she's carried away, the final thing she sees and hears is simon. >> he kept screaming, petra, petra. and the last time i saw him -- >> that was petra when i first met her. this is petra today. all the time that's traveled between us. >> 20 years. >> did you dread coming to talk again? >> no. i was so excited to see you. it's a

some way the tragedy gives us an opportunity to put meaning into our life. >> reporter: that was petra nemcova: but even as she healed, she kept reliving the screams of the children propelled by that water just out of reach. >> children trying to scream for help. i couldn't go and swim to them, or try to help them 'cause i couldn't move my legs. i couldn't do anything. that pain, it's with me so strongly every single day. that day of the tsunami i didn't have a choice to help children. but today and every day after, it keeps moving me every day. and we all have a choice every day. >> reporter: and that's why two decades ago she had an idea. she would use her own money and time to try to build an army of volunteers to keep helping the victims of natural disasters long after the world's attention has moved on. >> two, three months after natural disasters, that's usually the time when different organizations leave. the depression goes deeper and that's when many suicides happen. and if there is no more support from organizations, you're like, how am i ever going to get on with my life? >> reporte

her name is petra nemcova, one of those people who seemed to live a lucky life, a beautiful small townirl from communist czechoslovakia who was discovered and becomes one of the top supermodels in the world on runways. the covers of vogue magazine. she'd also found the man of her dreams, simon atlee, a gifted photographer with piercing blue eyes. they were on vacation in thailand in their bungalow, packing to go home when? >> and it was just such a spirit of something just pulled us out out of the bungalow and we were outside. >> and as she's carried away, the final thing she sees and hears is simon. >> then he can scream. petra! petra. saw him. >> that was petra when i first met her. this is petra today. t's always difficult to go back in in that moment. and when my life changed, in the deadly chaos, she grabs onto the top of a palm tree. i went into the 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. >> strangers give her clothes and gently place her on a floating mattress to steer her

. >> 20 years ago petra nemcova, world famous supermodel on a dream vacation. parenting playbook to help moms get through the holidays and actually have some fun. oh wait, that's exactly what we're doing on gma, david muir abc's worlds tonight, the most watched newscast in america and honored with the emmy award winner for outstanding live news program. >> thursday night. >> it was a brazen homicide. >> luigi mangione, the untold story. how did he go from honor student to alleged killer? >> he's a handsome young person. social media is going nuts. it's a made for tv drama. >> manhunt thursday night on abc. oh, yeah. >> please tell me. >> now from abc seven mornings. >> good morning. i'm amanda delcastillo from abc seven mornings. let's get a look at traffic with gloria fog. >> a big issue this morning in some areas as well as it was yesterday. now there are some dense fog advisories in effect for the bay bridge, benicia bridge, richmond-san rafael bridge as well, and taking a live look in san jose, you can see just how foggy it is out there. this is our 101 880

she's going to share her interview with supermodel petra nemcova, 20 years after she survived that devastating tsunami. and nicole kidman will talk to us about her new movie getting oscar buzz. you're going to see all that and more on gma because we need that. >> we need nicole kidman all the time, i love her. yeah, it feels good in a place. heartbreak feels good in a place like this. can i ask you a behind the scenes question that i think our viewers will enjoy? >> yes. >> when i'm watching you last night with david muir at the top of the broadcast. >> yes. >> so you do all of this? you're on good morning america. then you talk to the two of us. your date ends at some point, and then your day starts all over again to be on the evening news. and then you come back and do this all over again in the morning. >> she's like, yes, we call that a solid split shift. >> or sometimes i just go right on through. >> yeah, that's what was needed. >> i don't know that it's the glamor that everybody expects, but it's that's that's legit. >> well, i was just watching at home last night, and i was rooting for