Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Rainy Day in Monrovia, September 1976


There are more airline-related topics that could be posted to follow what has been put up so far this month, but in following from yesterday's clip, its seems appropriate to post one of the other vintage super 8mm films that have been posted on YouTube by lamorak.

Just in time for the beginning of the rainy season is this clip of an incredible deluge hitting the center of Monrovia in September, 1976. I've seen it flood when it rains in Monrovia, but nothing quite this biblical.

There aren't many specific landmarks to pick out, but the traffic seems to be navigating the center of town: Benson, Carey, Randall, Gurley, and Mechlin Streets are likely candidates. I'm tempted to say that one shot looks up toward Broad Street from the intersection of Benson and Gurley Streets, but that might be totally off. Maybe someone will recognize a particular sign or billboard, but I know these street pretty well, and I'm not too confident I can spot a specific location among these 4+ minutes of clips. Not that, aside from the vintage taxis and other contemporary models of the traffic, the city looks any different, almost-thirty six years later.

2 comments:

Coops outside the box said...

This is so great Matt, thanks! You're right that it's difficult to recognize the streets but my best guess is the intersection of Center and Benson streets. This really was typical of the time. I remember praying that our car wouldn't be one of those to break down in the water. Since we had a Polish model FIAT Lada, the most notorious ones for breaking down, that was a daily prayer! From Paynesville to CWA, the streets would be littered with stalled vehicles. I do hope it's better now.

MM Jones said...

Thanks for the comment! I've never seen it this bad, myself, but I the water does gush out of the sewers at the bottom of the hill in Waterside in even average rainy-season deluges. Its interesting to note the vintage cars and taxis-- the taxis today don't have lights on top!
Benson/Center Street is definitely a good guess-there really is not focus on any of the buildings, so its almost impossible to figure out the location.

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