The Costa Rican government declared a state of emergency in the wake of flooding that left at least 19 people dead. In neighboring Nicaragua, authorities said the floods had claimed nine lives and left six other people missing.

Panama and several Caribbean islands have also been swamped by heavy rainfall. In Cuba, government officials estimated that 30,000 residents had to be evacuated due to rising waters that also caused extensive damage to agriculture, including sugar cane and other crops.

Flooding in southern Mexican states from Guerrero to Chiapas cut off 15 communities from the outside world.

The animation to the upper right shows rainfall across the affected region for the period October 4-14, 2007. Data used to create the images were collected by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, known as TRIMM.

The highest rainfall totals for the period (shown in red) were between 16 and 20 inches (400 to 500 mm) along and just off the southern coast of Cuba. Haiti received lesser amounts of about 4 inches (100 mm), but rampant deforestation in the impoverished country over the past several decades resulted in catastrophic runoff that killed at least 47 people in villages north of the capital, Port au Prince.

Full story and image: NASA