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Floods Affect Southeastern Mexico

A number of rivers have spilled in the surrounding countryside

Oct 25, 2011 05:20 GMT  ·  By
This Terra MODIS image focused on the parts of Mexico worst affected by the October 2011 floods
   This Terra MODIS image focused on the parts of Mexico worst affected by the October 2011 floods

Throughout late October, Mexico has been plagued by floods, especially in its southeastern areas. Authorities say that a number of rivers eventually got so engorged that they filled the surrounding landscape, causing considerable damage.

The American space agency is helping Mexican authorities by providing them with comparative images of the affected areas, taken before and after the floods. By comparing the data, experts can determine the extent of the damage.

This particular image was collected using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on the NASA Terra satellite, on October 23. NASA also has several other images of this region in its archives, including some from 2009.

The latter are now used for comparison purposes. Mexican emergency responders can now plan their responses to secure the affected areas more effectively.