live showing off his svelte new figure, saturday, march 15th, 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with lester holt and erica hill. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. welcome to "today" on this sunday morning. i'm erica hill. >> i'm craig melvin alongside sheinelle jones, dylan dreyer along with us here on this sunday morning. dennis. 80% of his body weight was lost. >> dennis weighed 56 pounds. that's more than my 5-year-old. >> does he need a tummy tuck? >> i think we should ask dennis. our top story this morning. the extreme flooding across much of the midwest. all of that snow and ice from the relentless winter storms is now melting causing waters to dangerously rise to record levels. here's a live look of the flooded ohio river in cincinnati right now. nbc's kevin tibbles starts us off with more on the raging waters that are wreaking havoc. >> reporter: a wintry mix of rain and melting ice is causing lots of problems across the country. but in the ohio river valley it's a troubling scene. so much water and no place for it to go leaving neighbors desperately trying to protect their homes. >> i am terrified. yeah i am pretty scared. >> reporter: the swollen river has forced street closures in parts of the greater cincinnati and northern kentucky area. all along major rivers from upstate new york to louisiana, there are flood alerts. the record-breaking cold and snowfall the country has experienced this winter is now leading to a potentially dangerous that youw. >> the last time we saw flooding anywhere close to this was about 18 years ago in 1997. in north central ohio warming temperatures have caused icebergs to float down river creating actual boat jams for boaters. authorities urging onlookers and those just plain curious to be careful along the water. >> looks like a lot of people are heading this way to check out the river and see how crazy it is right now. >> yes, it is great to look at but go find a bridge. watch it from the bridge or watch it from the safety of an elevated area. because if it does break, you might not have time to get yourself to safety. >> reporter: old man winter may be loosening his grip but now that's all setting up a whole new set of problems for those along the rivers. >> that was kevin tibbles reporting there for us from ohio. >> which is looking pretty scary out there. so how bad will the midwest flooding get? we turn to dylan for that part of the answer. >> it is typical in spring to get this type of situation. you have those ice jams. you have the melting of the ice that was frozen on the river that gets stuck in the bends and underneath the bridges. that's why we end up with these floodwaters. here's a complicated map here but i want to point out to you that the flood stage of the ohio river is 52 feet. right now it is at 57 feet so that's five feet above flood stage but we're peaking this morning. then as we go through this week we are eventually going to stop dropping below that moderate flood stage, and then still stay above flooding but minor flooding is expected. we're kind of at the peak of it right now and we will start to see gradual improvements but it is all about the melting. you've had the frozen rivers. you've had the snow. now the temperatures about ten degrees above average in the cincinnati area. you're going to continue to see the melting and all that water goes into the rivers and they continue to flood. we do have this issue mainly along the ohio river but we have to watch out especially along the mississippi river because a lot of these flow to the mississippi river. it's spring. the news now, it's happened again. another deadly accident at a railroad crossing in this country. sheinelle's been following that. safety at the nation's rail crossings is at issue again today. two people are dead in kentucky. these are graphic images. a train approaches saturday and suddenly a car comes speeding over the tracks. the train pushed the car a half-mile after the impact. two people were killed and two more are in critical condition. air passengers are safe this morning after some scary moments in the sky. we have dramatic video from two emergency landings on saturday in denver and chicago. >> reporter: the crew of a united flight directed passengers into the crash position. this as a passenger captured the plane touching down at denver international saturday. its tire shredding on impact. the 71 passengers broke into applause after landing safely. in chicago, a go jet plane made an emergency landing without its nose gear in place. air controllers directed the crippled airliner to the ground. >> appears our nose gear was down. >> reporter: that plane also landed safely with no injuries. ten americans exposed to the ebola virus are being transported to the united states. they are health care workers that may have been exposed to an infected american in sierra leone. the infected patient is reported to be in good condition and that the national institutes for health in bethesda maryland. plenty of nail biting today as the final choices will be made for the ncaa tournament. harvard will be representing the ivy league. the crimson won a nail biter over yale yesterday. you'll be able to tackle your brackets tonight. the final selections for the big dance will be made after the conference tournaments are finished. amazing video to show you from a racetrack in florida. watch as this top fuel dragster going about 280 miles per hour by the way, splits in two. both halves flying into the air. amazingly, driver larry dixon walked away from this crash with just a sore back and knee. dixon's not sure if he's getting back on the track today. he says my car's a mess but i'm still here. >> i'm surprised if dixon ever gets back on the track. >> you know what? they do. they get back up and they drive. that's what they do. dylan is back now with a check of your weather. tough to believe, maybe a little bit more snow in new england today? >> i was just finishing up that spring-like forecast for the ohio river valley. now talking about snow especially up into maine where caribou is seeing heavier snow. we also have wrap-around snow near binghamton new york. one to three inches in some of the whiter spots here but north of bangor south of caribou, in this area here where we could end up with 8 to 12 inches of a good sunday morning. i'm meteorologist michelle grossmann. not a bad day. we had all that rain yesterday. it could be windy. winds could gust to 35 40. right around normal for this time of year. a beautiful start to the workweek. mixture of sun and clouds. less winds. tuesday, 53. then we're back into the chill. wednesday, thursday, friday, temperature into the 40s. first day of spring coming friday. not feeling like it. mostly sunny on saturday. 54 degrees. have a great day. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thanks. now to a mystery that has people speculating all over the globe. just where is russian president vladimir putin? he hasn't been seen in public in more than a week and that's really gotten the rumor mill going. nbc's kristin welker has more for us this morning from the white house. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. speculation has been rampant from theories putin was displaced in a coup to the possibility he's with his girlfriend in switzerland. it's a bizarre mystery that has the world wondering. out of public view for more than a week russian president voold mere put vladimir putin is making front page headlines here in the u.s. the new york post dubbing him vlad the impaler. putin's personal life has long been fodder for comedians. jimmy fallen once contemplating the pros and cons of dating him. pro -- he won't disappear after spending the night. con -- you might. >> reporter: but this is no joke. the last time putin was seen march 5th with italy's prime minister. and now the #whereisputin is trending. the kremlin isn't providing much clarity. state-controlled tv reported on a meeting between putin and another leader in the region as if it had already happened. the only problem -- that meeting isn't supposed to take place until monday. a spokesperson for the tv station acknowledged the mistake, but it all fueled the mounting questions and confusion. >> the kremlin is very opaque. it's very centralized. we know very little about what's going on. >> reporter: the other theory -- the 62-year-old leader who's never shy about showing off his good health has the flu. in fact u.s. officials tell nbc news putin may be under the weather. but russian officials say he's just fine. >> there is absolutely no reason for any doubts about the state of his health. his health is really perfect and everything is okay with him. >> reporter: still, russian experts say a show of strength is critical to putin's political prowess and could explain a lot. >> he has to keep this confidence game going. the confidence is in his health and vitality. so anything that challenges that image is a threat to the regime itself. >> reporter: when deputy white house spokesman eric schultz was asked about putin, he quipped, "i have enough time keeping track of the whereabouts of one world leader." he referred all other questions to the kremlin. the world might have an answer tomorrow. that's when putin is supposed to appear at an event in st. petersburg. back to you. >> we will be watching for that one. now to the race for the white house as the republican field of contenders battle it out, there are in you questions about the democratic field given hillary clinton's e-mail scandal. nbc's chuck todd is moderator of "meet the press." chuck, always good to see you, sir. big weekend for republicans. scott walker in new hampshire. so was jeb bush. but let's talk about the democrats for just a moment because this e-mail scandal does not appear to be going away for hillary clinton. some dems are wondering whether -- if this isn't it if there's something else that comes along and she doesn't bounce back. they don't seem to have much of a bench. how real of a concern is that for democrats, chuck? >> i think what democrats are more concerned about is hillary clinton getting her campaign started right now. they're not thinking about -- look there's nobody else in the current field. martin o'malley jim webb bernie sanders. those are the three candidates that are actively looking at it. then of course you have elizabeth warren and joe biden who some democrats would like to see jump in. but i think both of whom would only do it if hillary clinton stumbled two or three more times. but i think what democrats are really concerned about is they need hillary clinton to hurry up and get her campaign up and running. that's the lesson many of them took away from this week is that had she had a campaign apparatus, her response to the feeding frenzy would have been quicker, would have been more nimble and instead it was flat-footed. it was late. and never mind the fact that it came across as defensive and a little bit a flashback of the '90s. but i think more importantly than ever craig, this is about democrats wanting her to hurry up and get this campaign going. >> let's look at another election now tuesday. the netanyahu race facing the political fight of his life right now. handicap the race and if netanyahu does lose on tuesday what might that mean for relations between this country and israel? >> i think, look. the professional relationship between the united states and israel is strong it will be strong weather netanyahu is president or whether the other gentleman is the most likely person that would be prime minister if somehow netanyahu wasn't. that stuff, now you'd have a better personal relationship no doubt, between the president and a new prime minister. professional relationship doesn't change. the question is what's been fascinating to watch, craig, is when it comes to netanyahu's path to victory, security security security. it's very similar to bush '04. he wants israelis to thinking about threats from iran threats from syria, threats from gaza the palestinians. that's what he wants voters thinking about whether they go to the polls. the opposition they want him to be thinking about economics, domestic issues. so it really does actually remind me of bush/kerry '04. the same dynamic is in the closing days of that race in israel. >> cluck todd, thank you. tune in to "meet the press" this morning when chuck and his guests will talk about the fallout over the republicans' letter to the leaders of iran. turning to a big announcement from the palin family. on saturday former governor sarah palin's bristol revealed she's engaged to a decorated war hero revealing that in a very modern way. >> reporter: they announced their engagement like any other happy couple these days -- on instagram. proclaiming themselves the luckiest people ever. the world met bristol when her mother graffer sarah palin, became the republican vice presidential candidate in 2008. bristol was 17 and pregnant engaged to boyfriend levi johnston. it didn't last long. just like the bid for the white house. but bristol moved on advocating against teen pregnancy. >> pause before you play. >> reporter: and appearing on various reality tv shows, eventually starring in her own. >> hi. i'm bristol palin. tripp is the love of my life. >> reporter: the world met dakota myer on a much different stage. president obama awarded sergeant myer the medal of honor, the highest military decoration. >> i didn't think i was going to die. i knew i was. >> reporter: in 2009 then-corporal myer only 21 rescued dozens of american and afghan soldiers from a deadly ambush. >> because of your honor, 36 men are alive today. >> where you heading? >> somewhere amazing. >> reporter: the couple met on the set of sarah palin's latest show "amazing america." "we're honored to welcome dakota into our family," palin wrote on her facebook page. he's an american hero the best this country has to offer, overcoming the horrors of war to find his happily ever after in alaska and the palins. for "today," nbc news los angeles. >> we wish them the best. as we always say on the show we love love. >> we do love love. and speaking of love actually there is another couple still going strong these days prince charles and camilla. and the prince took many by surprise this weekend when he shared some intimate details of his relationship with her as the couple gets set to visit the united states this week. nbc's kelly co-biella is in buckingham palace. >> reporter: good morning. yes, prince charles talks about his brilliant wife who makes him laugh and keeps things light. this is a woman whose public image has changed so much that she may not be princess consort when charles is king. she could be queen camilla. the future king of england is coming to america, along with the future queen. prince charles and duchess camilla, now happily married for ten years. the prince gushing about his wife this weekend on cnn. >> it's always nice to have somebody who understands and wants to encourage and she certain certainly tells me if i get too serious. all of that helps. >> reporter: on their first trip to the u.s. in 2005 the public still saw camilla as the other woman. memories of princess diana still strong who famously complained in one tv interview that there were three of us in this marriage and it was a bit crowded. diana used to call camilla the rottweiler. that's history now. when charles and camilla married, prince william and prince harry embraced her, and eventually so did the british public. >> she's more popular and that's largely because everyone's realized look. charles and camilla were in love. they weren't allowed to be together initially. now they are together and they make each other better people. >> reporter: duchess camilla has her own causes and her own quiet public role. >> you can imagine, it is a real a real challenge but she's i think been brilliant in the way she's tackled these things. >> reporter: that marriage glow rubbing off on prince william and duchess kate. now eight months pregnant and showing off that baby bump on the set of "downton abbey" last week. two happy couples make a happy queen. and the queen, royal watchers say, knows how important it is to have a supportive spouse in this ultimate royal role. guys she has been married to prince philip now for 67 years. >> wow! >> kelly cobiella thank you. you covered the royals. this is quite the turn-around for camilla. >> yeah i think the public perception has really changed a lot. i loved covering that royal wedding. it was a great time! now here's something they probably wouldn't say in england -- butter my butt and call my biscuit. craziest catchphrases from around the u.s. in just this one moment, your baby is getting even more than clean. the scent, the lather, even the tiny bubbles of a johnson's® bath are helping to enhance the experience. the touch of your hands is stimulating her senses. nurturing her mind. and helping her development. so why just clean your baby when you can give her... so much more™? johnson's®. so much more™. your body goes through more than 500 ups and downs a day. your deodorant should keep up. secret clinical strength has adapts & responds technology for customized protection that adapts to your body. i'm not sick. i'm not sick. i'm not sick. she's perfectly healthy. cigna covers preventive care. that's having your back. and we are back on this sunday morning with a question. have you ever found yourself in a place and you wonder what the heck are people talking about? that's actually me here on weekends. besides at work. >> yes. well a lot of states and regions as we know have their own sayings. sheinelle is in the orange room with some of the more interest being ones we found. >> the folks at yahoo! put this one together. while we don't have time to go through all 50 states here are some of what yahoo! describes as the most hilarious and annoying slang across the country. again, their words, not mine. start with kentucky. if someone says to you, "i think your wig's a little loose." apparently what they're saying is -- what kind of nut job are you anyway? let's go to my old stomping grounds in pennsylvania. you won't hear the word sandwich. rather hogies. ice cream sprinkles are referred to as jimmies. you don't tiely up the mess you don't clean it up you red it up. this is from floshg. do you wait on line or in line. for everyone else it is inline. but apparently here true in new york people say you wait on line. in what state does "butter my butt and call me a biscuit" translate to "i'm surprised and i'm delighted." >> i'm going south carolina. >> texas. >> alabama or louisiana. >> texas. >> you ready. >> alabama! >> yes! >> wow. wow. >> butter my butt and call me a biscuit. >> >> i would never cheat. >> people in alabama i'm sure are quite pleased. >> i love that saying. i'm going to steal it. that and your wig's a little loose. from an air conditioner on your wrist to a shoe that can charge your phone. we'll check out some of the coolest gadgets from the south by southwest fest. butter my butt and call in my world, wall isn't a street. return on investment isn't the only return i'm looking forward to. for some every dollar is earned with sweat, sacrifice, courage. which is why usaa is honored to help our members with everything from investing for retirement to saving for college. our commitment to current and former military members and their families is without equal. start investing with as little as fifty dollars. still to come on "today," a decades-old missing persons case is now back in the headlines after an explosive new documentary into the life of robert durst. could tonight's highly anticipated finale of that documentary put the eccentric real estate mogul behind bars. more than ten years after surviving the tsunami that killed her boyfri we're here today asking kids what their favorite vegetable is. kids? [ crickets chirping ] now we're gonna give those same kids bush's baked beans. [ kids ] mmmm... finally, we're gonna tell them that bush's baked beans are actually a veg-- tut-tut-tut. ix-nay on the egetable-vay. oh, right. bush's secret family recipe gives them a delicious flavor so they're a [whispers] vegetable that kids actually like. bush's baked beans. the [whispers] vegetable that kids love. this- is your new wallet. no. really. you can now use your capital one card with apple pay to buy this that... or a few pairs of these-all from your iphone 6 instantly. it's easy. honestly- it's pretty awesome. and when you have the capital one wallet app you can keep track of all your purchases. see what i mean? awesome. what's in your wallet? good morning. i'm rosemary connors. it's just a few minutes before 8:306789 sunny but windy out there. let's get a check of the forecast with meteorologist michelle grossmann. >> hi there. perfect mixture. the sun and clouds. wind is going to be the real story. winds gusting up to 30 miles an hour even up to 40 miles an hour this afternoon. 44 in philadelphia 41 in allentown. 43 in millville. as we go throughout the afternoon we're going to feel the winds throughout the afternoon into the evening hours, up to 51 degrees. monday a beautiful start to the workweek. 60 nice partly sunny skies. tuesday, back down to 53. that's st. paddy's day. after morning hours, partly sunny skies. wednesday, temperatures in the 40s. a woman is in juried the morning after an overnight car crash on roosevelt boulevard. nbc 10 was in philadelphia's lawncrest neighborhood as crews flipped her overturned car back over around 4:00 this morning. the woman was taken to the hospital with cuts and bruises to her head. it could have been a losst worse here but no one was injured when a pickup plowed into a car. it happened after 1:00 this morning. police are now trying to figure out exactly what led up to this wreck. in south philadelphia police are investigating a shooting that happened around 11:30 near 23rd and moore street. a 20-year-old man is being treated for wounds in the arms and legs. michelle and i will be back here at 9:00. i may have said about a zillion things. you can't help yourself. right now you're a free man 100%. you say something inadvertently and you'll find yourself charged in new york or in -- charged in los angeles. and our interview is a big risk for you. >> that was real estate heir robert durst appearing in a sensational new hbo documentary despite his lawyers warning him not to do it. so did he do just what his lawyers may have feared and incriminate himself? questions are swirling this morning around him in connection with the deaths of two people and the disappearance of his ex-wife. more on that story in just a moment. welcome back on this sunday morning, march 15th, 2015. >> we have a great crowd. >> i'm here for lester holt. this is an energetic crowd on the plaza. >> yeah! these people are good! >> and finally, it's not freezing! >> do you think that's why they're so excited? >> dylan is excited about that too. >> lots of girls weekends and birthdays. that's a rowdy group. so much to get to this half-hour. but we begin with more on this morning's headlines, the big thaw creating some treacherous conditions from the great lakes to the gulf coast. raging rivers reaching record levels sweeping away roads and bridges. homes even on the edge of disaster. in kentucky a freight train plowed into a car crossing the tracks saturday killing two inside the vehicle. this is the fourth train accident in recent weeks. and a big day of college hoops. selection sunday. the final choices will be announced for those coveted brackets in the ncaa basketball tournament. >> we need to know who's in it first. >> we'll have to do a little bracket action this week between the four of us. >> ku and villanova. >> there you go. sheinelle's picks. this half-hour, we'll have more on that new documentary on robert durst and the stunning revelation that may have people in los angeles tuning in to that documentary on hbo. we'll talk to the prosecutor who spent years chasing durst. south by southwest, the texas festival is where some of the biggest apps in history make their debut. this morning we'll show you the gadgets unveiled this year that could be the next game changers. and also ahead, a dramatic transformation for a dog once obese and depressed. dennis the dachshund, and his owner are here with his remarkable reveal. the before and after photos are dramatic. >> looking forward to seeing dennis the new svelte dennis. before we get to all of that final check on the forecast. >> i want to step behind you for a second. we've got a whole contingent. but none of you knew each other -- >> none ever us and we go to st. justin's lafayette high school we go to the st. louis cardinals and timothy dahlin. >> making friends out here on the plaza. across the country it is hot in the southwest. the l.a. marathon is today. temperatures will be running 20 degrees above archverage. highs well into the 80s. in rapid city south dakota -- 81 degrees today. that's 35 degrees above average. the heat spreads over into the midwest where temps will be in the 60s and 70s. again those ice jams now causing flooding issues especially along the ohio river. looking at snow through central and northern new england, down east maine could end up with 9 to 12 and a good sunday morning. i'm meteorologist michelle grossmann. we had all that rain yesterday. today a mixture of clouds and sun. winds could guest 35 to 40 miles an hour. 42 right around normal for this time of the year. a beautiful start to the workweek. less winds. tuesday, st. paddy's, 53. then we're back into the windchill. wednesday, thursday friday in the 40s. friday, first day of spring not feeling like it. saturday, 54 degrees. have a great day. >> and that's your latest forecast. erica? >> dylan, thanks. turning now to an unsolved murder mystery that's getting some renewed attention from the public and the police this morning after a sensational new documentary featuring the prime suspect himself, millionaire robert durst, exposed a potential bombshell in the case. the show's highly anticipated finale is tonight and there is talk it could have major implications for durst and the still unsolved disappearance of his young wife. nbc's stephanie gosk joins us now with more on that story. >> good morning, erica. this new documentary on hbo tells robert durst's story again in incredible interview including a long interview with durst himself. the director promises tonight's final installment will answer questions people have been asking for decades. a disappearance. a young wife who was never found. and two murders. the best friend shot in her l.a. home and the texas neighbor killed dismembered and dumped in galveston bay. hbo documentary "the jinx" challenges the viewer to decide. did robert durst, son of one of the most powerful real estate tycoons in new york city murder them all? absolutely not, according to durst whose lawyers he said advised him not to talk. >> they said about a zillion times. you can't help yourself. right now you are a free man 100%. you say something inadvertently and you'll find yourself charged in new york or in -- charged in los angeles. >> reporter: in 2003 durst went on trial in a texas courtroom for the murder of his neighbor, morris black. he admitted to shooting him and dumping the body. some thought the evidence was overwhelming. >> lot of people are stunned by this verdict. >> we the jury find the defendant, robert durst, not guilty. >> reporter: lawyers argued self-defense and the jury acquitted. >> we've done our job. we presented what we could. but yes, we remain disappointed in the verdict. >> reporter: for the document the director questioned durst for 25 hours. >> i think what we get into here is really the depth of this person and he's willing to talk in this context about things that he's never spoken about before. >> reporter: the film uncovers new evidence. a letter written to victim susan berman the handwriting and misspelling hauntingly similar to a letter written to the los angeles police a day before her body was discovered. sources familiar with the investigation say the renewed attention surrounding durst has re-energized what had been a cold case. but could it lead to an arrest? >> they're going to need something substantial to hang their hat on. is the information and the testimony of inconsistent statements and some handwriting samples enough to convict a person for murder. >> reporter: >> the challenge for prosecutors will be difficult. susan berman was killed in 2000 and durst's wife disappeared from westchester county in 1982. the cases are old. but as this documentary proves, the story of robert durst remains a captivating one. erica? >> that it is. stephanie gosk thanks. joining us now is former westchester prosecutor, joo neen p jeannine piro who you were really on these cases for a long time. great to have you with us. you said in an interview, "i think bobby durst knows the jig is up." that's a pretty strong statement. >> you know here's a guy who's been implicated in a disappearance and two murders over 30 years. kudos to the directors of this documentary because what we're hearing now are things that are totally inconsistent with what i heard as the d.a. investigating the cold case of the disappearance of kathleen durst. specifically durst wouldn't talk to us at the time of course. but what he did say was that you know we spoke to his wife she definitely got into the city and something must have happened to her in the city. the bottom line is we hear on the documentary, i never spoke to my wife that night and i didn't have a drink with the neighbor and i never called them from a pay phone. and then we find out that there was this criminal defense attorney who has hired and investigator who found out things that had i known back then would certainly have helped me. >> those things would have helped you. but now we have this information now. specifically that letter. are those things -- is this evidence that would be admissible in court? >> look. i think that if you've been watching "the jinx," it is very clear that the directors did everything they could to preserve the evidence to identify it and to make sure that it is court admissible. and that is very clear in the fifth episode. and if indeed that handwriting is robert durst's handwriting, he says in his own words, whoever wrote that note is probably the killer. >> do you think he could be arrested? >> you know what? i think that tonight will take this thing to another level and i look forward to seeing it. >> any idea what's in it? >> i have a sense and i think it is definitely worth seeing and i think that maybe the directors have done what three states in 30 years of law enforcement have not been able to do. >> two quick questions for you on that point. number one, how much have you been talking to law enforcement that you know about what you're seeing? >> a little bit. >> okay. and in terms of it durst deciding to speak out against the advice of his attorney why would he decide to do that now? is this you think based on ego? >> you know i think that what you've got is a guy who has a very strong ego. remember he was arrested in pennsylvania after he cut up morris black for stealing a sandwich when he had -- i don't know -- $38,000 in his car. here's a guy who's always on the edge and he admits. he said you know i would say to my ex-mother-in-law i was complicity in your daughter's disappearance. he keeps pushing the envelope. interestingly enough it is an envelope that may push him. >> well played. nice to have you with us. we will be following the updates as well. jeannine pirro, also host of fox news channel's "justice with judge jeannine." a super model speaking out now on how she managed to survive the deadly tsunami in 2004. her story after these messages when i'm shopping for a used car, i want to be comfortable. i don't want an aggressive salesperson breathing down my neck pressuring me into a decision. when i go to the supermarket there's no one pushing me to buy the more expensive cereal. i just want to shop like i do everywhere else. ♪ ♪ as long as people drive cars carmax will be the best way to buy them. i knew instantly that this was...wow! it's crest hd. it's amazing. new crest hd gives you a 6x healthier mouth and 6x whiter teeth in just one week. it gets practically every detail. that's why it's called hd. try new crest pro-health hd. last year quicken loans paid a year's worth of mortgages for every hole-in-one at a pga tour event seventeen times. this year, the mortgage we pay could be yours. win a year's worth of mortgage payments from quicken loans. enter today at pgatour.com/quickenloans. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs. billions in tax revenue... and a new century of american energy security. the new energy superpower? it's red, white and blue. log on to learn more. back with a story of survival. more than ten years after the deadly tsunami of 2004 an estimated 230,000 people in 14 countries were killed when a tsunami decimated the coast line around the indian ocean rim. one of those survivors was super model petra nemcova. she recounts the painful details of that day and how she struggled to survive one of nature's most brutal disasters. nbc's josh elliott has more. >> 2004 was the year when my career was at its peak. it was one year after i was on the cover of "sports illustrated" and everything was booming. >> reporter: it was also the year petra nemcova planned a christmas holiday with her boyfriend, photographer simon atley on the beautiful beaches in thailand. >> i was really excited taking simon to thailand and showing him a place which was so close to my heart. >> reporter: but the day after christmas, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake deep beneath the indian ocean triggered a massive tsunami which struck without warning. >> the next second water was crashing into the windows and breaking the windows. filling the bungalow and it was so of the fa. i was screaming to simon, what's happening. then the current took myself and simon out of the bungalow. then a debris of wood and metal and trees and glass started to press on my pelvis and i had no way to escape. i felt i will die. and there was a palm tree -- first palm tree i saw and i tried to catch the leaves and i couldn't. >> reporter: despite a broken pelvis nemcova finally managed to grab hold of a tree which she clung to for eight hours until some local men were able to rescue her. >> i had very strong hope that simon will be found. i didn't think that there was a chance that i wouldn't make it. it was i think about three months after when i got the phone call that simon's body was found and that it's going to be coming to england. we didn't mourn his life. we celebrated his life. the beauty is that his family became my family. his best friends became my best friends. and he passed me incredible gift. >> powerful story. it does not feel like it's been 1 1 years. >> no. when you say 2004 -- >> you see those pictures and it reminds you of the devastation and the coverage of it was intense. >> it was. >> so sad. you >> you can seen "swept away" tonight at 9:00 8:00 central. up next does your smartphone batly always seem to be running low? >> yes. >> apparently now you can charge the phone with your feet. we'll ex introducing new flonase allergy relief nasal spray, now available over the counter in full prescription strength. when we breathe in allergens our bodies react by over-producing six key inflammatory substances that cause our symptoms. the leading allergy pill only controls one, flonase controls six. and six is greater than one. flonase the 24 hour relief that outperforms the #1 allergy pill. tuesday, st. paddy's, 53. new flonase. six is greater than one. this changes everything. the volkswagen passat handles like a dream. go ahead... step on it. yeah? yeah! that turbo engine packs a punch, right? oh yeah. pinch me. okay... and on passat models you can get a $1,000 volkswagen credit bonus. one more time. pinch me. it's not a dream. it's the volkswagen stop dreaming, start driving event. stop dreaming, do it again. and test-drive one today. hurry in and you can get 0% apr plus a $1000 volkswagen credit bonus on 2015 passat and jetta models. sometimes, caring for your neighbors means going the extra mile. when our patient, susan, mentioned her dad couldn't make it in to pearle vision to get his eyes checked... we went to him. and we realized, if he had trouble getting new glasses... he probably wasn't the only one. to us, eye care is about living dr. pearles legacy. building a trusting relationship with the person behind the eyes. this is genuine eye care right in your neighborhood. this is pearle vision. this morning in "mario's top three," the coolest new tech inventions getting lots of buzz at the south by southwest festival in texas. our tech expert mario armstrong went to check it out. >> reporter: welcome to south by southwest, guys. i'm here in austin at the interactive festival. it is the birthplace to some of your favorite apps like twitter and foursquare. it's also where people come to pitch their products and their prototypes hoping to be the next big thing. so let's roll out, see what we bump into. that's south by southwest it can get immensely hot. so much so you see misters like this all over the place. what if you were pitched on the street a prototype to promised to be your very own air conditioning unit? that's what dr. mon smith has come up with from m.i.t. explain this to me. why on the wrist? >> sure thing. the wrist is a sensitive temperature part on the body. on a hot day you can put an ice cube there and feel better. we're not changing your core temperature, just offering you workweek. ef. when you dip your feet into a cold pool on a hot day, it makes you feel better. that in itself is very valuable. >> i can feel it working. it's helping me feel a little bit cooler. thanks for workweek. n. appreciate it. one of the things i'm noticing already is that i'm running out of battery life like crazy. who you many of you can relate to that? what if i told you that if i was walking around i could use that energy by my steps to give me more battery life for my phone. i'm wearing a prototype that does that right now. it is called sole power. it is connected to the insole in my shoe. as i walk i'm able to get power to my device. here to explain this hanna alexander. where do you see this going? >> well really anyone that walks can use this. we're working with hikers with be backpacks and the u.s. military. this affects everyone from sub-saharan africa to the streets of austin. >> wow. big market. good pitch. awesome prototype. for two hours of walking i get one hour of talk time? >> yes. hey, guys i'm inside of the austin convention center right now. you may see that i have this selfie stick with me. that's not news. but what is big news and trending here is live streaming right from your phone. i'm using an app right now called stre.am. it allows you to stream live from your phone to facebook twitter, all your family and friends can see it. why should families use live streaming apps? >> great question. i'm a huge family of staying engaged with my long distance relatives and they love seeing my kids. birgd birthdays, christmas morning, even our soccer games. >> for crazy tech journalists like me i love this thing! >> mario, thanks. up next the diet for the dogs. it's giving one ohio pup a new leash on life. >> look how much smaller his he ♪ ah, push it. ♪ ♪ ♪ push it. ♪ ♪ p...push it real good! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ow! ♪ ♪ oooh baby baby...baby baby. ♪ if you're salt-n-pepa, you tell people to push it. ♪ push it real good. ♪ it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. ♪ if you wan s workweek. e nsurance you switch to geico. it's what you do. ♪ ah. push it. ♪ i'm pushing. i'm pushing it real good! workweek. pillsbury crescents--awesome. but now you can use them to make pizza night awesome, too. unroll, separate, add sauce, pepperoni, cheese, and fold. behold: week night crescent pizza pockets party. pillsbury crescents. make dinner pop. workweek. there are 16 fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each bottle of tropicana pure premium. and absolutely no space for added sugar, water or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning. you wouldn't do half of your daily routine. so why treat your mouth any differently. brushing alone does less than half the job leaving behind millions of germs. complete the job with listerine®. kill up to 99 percent of germs. and prevent plaque, early gum disease and bad breath. complete the job with listerine®. power to your mouth™. also try listerine® floss. its advanced technology removes more plaque. jacklyn: our middle schools have classes that are devoted for test prep. my kids only have a half a year science and a half a year social studies to make room for preparing for the test. gina: we have no after-school programs, we have no freshman sports, we have no extra anything... okaikor: we're cutting those programs to make way for test prep. and we're not taking in to all the other things that makes a child whole. gina: we are setting our kids up to fail. back now on a sunday with a diet for the dogs. literally. these are some dramatic before pictures. wait until you see the after. a miniature dachshund from ohio -- not so miniature at that point -- pretty much obese at one point. all of that changed though whether dennis the dog was adopted and quickly whipped into shape. the new improved dennis is here with his dog mom, brooke burton. nice to have you both with us. dennis has the sweetest, most expressive eyes and he is a little nervous. sheinelle's keeping his calm. >> yeah. he's very nervous. >> when you first took dennis in correct me if i'm wrong -- he weighed 56 pounds and he ate mainly burgers and pizza? i mean could he even walk? >> he could barely walk. he would o only have to take a few steps and stop for a breather. he couldn't run or play like a normal dog would. >> he was your relative's dog. >> yeah. my great uncle. >> what did you do differently besides cutting back on the bad stuff. >> yeah. i just controlled his diet in the very beginning and that helped drastically have those pounds just melt off. after he lost ten pounds it was just exercise. i didn't exercise him the first month because i was afraid of him maybe having a heart attack because he was so big. yeah. >> you started a non-profit i hear. right? >> yeah. non-profit. osu. it is called dennis' legacy. is to help other owners with obese pets cats or dogs. it is going to pay for half of what it will cost to see the nutritionist there at osu and the bags of dog or cat food. >> how much did he lose? >> 44 pounds. >> he actually did have surgery to remove the skin. >> yes. his second surgery was in fact a tummy tuck. yeah. it was a big surgery for sure. >> it is great to see him doing so well. he's definitely an inspiration for a lot of pet lovers out there. brooke and dennis thanks for coming in. we want to say a very special farewell today to our prompter operator. his career at nbc has spanned more than 40 years. he's off to a well deserved