On the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC) campus, strong gusts of wind caused several trees to fall on vehicles while rains flooded classrooms, corridors, offices and parking lots.

San José officials say they have taken appropriate measures to prevent the kind of flooding that turned some city streets into lakes in recent years.

The Illinois National Guard was ordered into action Friday and hundreds of people urged to flee rising floodwaters in the U.S. Midwest. Forecasters warned that southern U.S. states were in increasing danger in the days to come.

Heavy rains in recent days have caused flooding in some 20 communities in Costa Rica’s southern Pacific region, the National Emergency Commission (CNE) reported Wednesday. Some are stranded by road washouts while others have been left without drinking water.

High tides are expected starting Tuesday along Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Experts say they'll come with big waves and, combined with rain, could cause flooding.

The highest tides of the year along Costa Rica’s Pacific coast flooded hundreds of homes in the early hours of Tuesday and Wednesday, mostly in Puntarenas province.

Constant flooding of businesses along Chinatown's main boulevard, caused by excessive litter and debris, means that city workers now must rebuild an outdated sewage system to better handle rainfall.