History

Nature’s Fury: 20 Vintage Photos of Floods That Unleashed Havoc

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Split image: On the left, people in a dark boat navigate a flooded street with vintage cars and storefronts. On the right, a police officer stands waist-deep in floodwater near a vitamins booth. Both scenes depict historic urban flooding.
Via Reddit

Floods have long since been known throughout history as one of nature’s most destructive and wildly unpredictable forces. Rivers and the towns that have been erected nearby them can be thrown into utter, hysterical chaos in just a matter of hours when a flood starts up.

We’ll take a look at some vintage images that capture the emotional rollercoaster that can be the experience of battling through the turmoil delivered by a flood.

1. The way they dealt with it in Paris, 1924

A black and white photo showing people using chairs to form a makeshift bridge across a flooded area. They balance carefully while holding umbrellas, with a park fence and trees surrounding the scene.
otherwisetackle5219

It was no easy feat muddling through a destructive flood back in the day.

2. Great Ohio River Flood of 1937, Louisville, Kentucky

A person navigates through a flooded urban street on a makeshift wooden raft, using a long pole for steering. Surrounding buildings and utility poles are partially submerged under cloudy skies.
myipodstillworks

One can only imagine the silence that must’ve rang through those lonesome, flooded streets.

3. Mexico City, 1940s

A black and white photo shows a flooded city street with vintage vehicles, buses, and pedestrians wading through knee-deep water. Nearby shops and signs are visible, with people navigating the scene in various directions.
donzenova

People weren’t about to let that flooding stop them from popping out.

4. A troubling shot of the infamous Great Ohio River Flood of 1937

A vintage car is partially submerged on a flooded city street. A boat navigates the water near storefronts with various signs. An elevated billboard advertising "Twenty Grand Cigarettes" is visible in the foggy background. The scene is monochromatic.
deblunked

The foggy aesthetic only makes it all the more dark and eerie.

5. An officer keeping an eye on the streets of Ontario, Canada in 1974

A police officer stands in waist-high floodwater next to a building marked with "Vitamins." A "Do Not Enter" sign is visible in the waterlogged street. In the background, a crowd stands on a dry patch of road.
clarkwithanm

That officer wasn’t going to let a mere flood come in the way of keeping a watchful eye on everyone.

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6. Oakland, NJ, August 24, 1933

People wade through knee-deep floodwaters in front of a row of small houses. Some are carrying children, while others walk carefully. The houses have pitched roofs and the scene is set against a backdrop of trees.
axlcobainvedder

To see your cabin end up underwater must’ve been a heartbreaking reality to navigate, to say the very least.

7. Louisville, Kentucky, 1937

Black and white photo of a flooded street with people sitting on a building's roof and others in a makeshift raft. A partially submerged vintage car is in the water. Signage on the building includes "Falls City" and "Peer's Store.
myipodstillworks

The Ohio River flood of 1937 really was on a level of its own.

8. People really were exceptionally dressed during the flood of 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky

Black and white photo of people in a rowboat navigating a flooded street, surrounded by vintage cars and storefronts, including Piggly Wiggly and Malo Meyers Candies. People are bundled in coats and hats.
ak8fg

Everyone is out there looking quite dapper, given that there was a flood going on

9. Corner Wall and Maple Streets in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1937

Four people in a small rowboat navigate through a flooded street beside a brick building. The boat carries two women and two men, with one man rowing and another holding the oar.
axlcobainvedder

These lads honestly don’t look too perturbed about the nasty state of things.

10. A grocery store takes a tough hit in Thompsonville, CT, 1955

Sepia-toned historical photo of a flooded street in a town. Water flows between brick buildings and a white two-story store. The scene includes street signs, power lines, and leafy trees in the background.
ealaimo55

Things were looking especially bleak when the grocery stores got rocked during those floods.

11. A heavy thunderstorm in north London forced up road bricks and caused traffic chaos, June 8, 1950

Black and white photo of children playing in floodwaters around a stranded double-decker bus on a street. The bus route is 649, and numerous people are observing from the sidewalk near storefronts. The scene captures a busy urban area.
infamousleopard383

Those poor bricks never stood a fighting chance.

12. Montreal, 1869

A historic black-and-white photo shows several people standing on wooden planks on a flooded street in an old city. Two horse-drawn carts are visible in the distance. Stone buildings with business signs line the street.
mgwgn1

The sepia tone really adds another layer of drama to this shot.

13. A motorist attempts to start his car engine in the Thames Valley on 12 March 1914

A vintage car is stuck in deep water on a flooded road. A woman sits inside the vehicle, while a man wearing a coat and hat leans over the front of the car, inspecting it. A hedge and trees are in the background.
mastershift121

It seems like that car engine might indeed be toast.

14. Paris, France, 1910

A black and white photo of a flooded street with people navigating in wooden boats. Tall buildings line the street, and a sign for a hotel is visible. The scene captures the urban landscape during a flood.
highcontrastgrey

Paris really got rocked by some awful inundations.

15. Outside the store of ironmonger Duncan McLean in Greymouth, New Zealand circa 1907

Historic black and white photo of a flooded street with horse-drawn carriage navigating through water. People stand on elevated sidewalks near buildings labeled "Duncan McLean Ironmonger" and "Grain & Seed Merchant." Cloudy sky above.
aetheredditor

Probably not going to be the best day to visit Duncan McLean.

16. 1959, Moscow, Neglinnaya Street

People wade through floodwaters on a city street, with a man in a uniform pulling a small boat. Vehicles, including a bus and a car, are partially submerged. Historic buildings line the street under a cloudy sky.
vulcantaoryes

Everyone, all aboard, and watch your steps.

17. 15th July 1937, Leytonstone, East London

A vintage scene shows a street flooded with water. Vehicles, including cars and double-decker buses, navigate through the flood. People walk or cycle along the sidewalk. A bus advert displays "My Goodness, My Guinness." Buildings line the street.
mackteague

Some people just refused to be fazed by a “little” bit of water.

18. Haverhill, Massachusetts, Jan 1937

A group of people in a small boat navigate a flooded street lined with partially submerged storefronts. Buildings display signs for businesses like "Haverhill Hardware" and "Western Union." The water reflects the buildings and boat.
myipodstillworks

It looks like the shops are indeed going to be closed for a while.

19. 1927, U.S. Route 51 between Mounds, Illinois, and Cairo, Illinois

A vintage car is partially submerged on a flooded road, with two men standing on its running boards. The background shows leafless trees and a flooded landscape, creating a scene of historical flooding.
myipodstillworks

That was the situation in Illinois at the time.

20. Grafton, NSW, 11 March 1890

A sepia-toned vintage photo shows a flooded town with water reaching roof level. Two people paddle a small boat past submerged houses and trees. The sky is cloudy and the scene is peaceful despite the flooding.
seethroughplate

Those buildings are completely submerged. You can hardly make out the roofs as it is.

In the mood for more?

You can check out 20 of the Most Insanely Destructive Natural Disasters From the Past, 20 Natural Phenomena That Show the Earth Is Stranger Than We Think or 19 Haunting Images Showing the Destruction Caused By Natural Disasters.

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Meet the Writer


Matt Staff

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just as easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.

These days Matt’s caught up in trying to provide folks as many vivid glimpses into the days long since passed as he can, through fun and engaging collections of hand-picked vintage photos.



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