Tropical Storm Isaac heads for Cuba after lashing Haiti
(about 2 hours later)
Gale-force winds and driving rain are lashing Haiti as Tropical Storm Isaac crosses the Caribbean state.
A tropical storm is rolling towards Cuba after bringing flood misery to the south coast of Haiti, where four people were killed.
The US National Hurricane Centre says the heavy rainfall is a "major threat" and may cause floods and mudslides.
The Cuban government has declared a state of alert in six provinces and evacuated thousands of people from high-risk areas.
Aid groups warn that some 400,000 Haitians still living in makeshift camps after the deadly earthquake of 2010 are extremely vulnerable.
There were no immediate reports of major damage in Haiti but heavy rain continued after the storm passed.
Storm warnings are also in place for neighbouring Dominican Republic, as well as Cuba and parts of Florida.
The US state of Florida has issued a storm warning on its coast.
The United States National Hurricane Centre (NHC) predicts that the storm will move near or over Cuba later on Saturday and approach the Florida Keys on Sunday.
Officials organised shelters and urged holiday-makers to leave the Florida Keys as Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency to make sure emergency services would be ready when the storm made landfall on Sunday.
It said Isaac had displayed "some increase in forward speed" as it ripped across Haiti.
Further north, Tampa is preparing to host the US Republican National Convention on Monday but weather forecasters believe it is unlikely Isaac will hit the city head-on.
The storm could pose a potential threat to Florida during the US Republican National Convention.
'Sleeping in mud'
Disease warning
In Haiti, a girl of 10 died when a wall fell on her in the capital, Port-au-Prince. The British aid charity Oxfam said it knew of three other deaths.
Although Isaac did not become a hurricane as it hit Hispaniola - the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic - the near-hurricane strength winds and rain have the potential to cause great destruction, especially in Haiti.
The poorest country in the Americas is still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake and many of the 400,000 people still living in tent cities had no option but to weather the storm under canvas.
Jessica Schauer from the NHC said Haiti could see up to 20 inches of rainfall, "threatening flash floods and mudslides".
"From last night, we're in misery," Cite Soleil resident Jean-Gymar Joseph told the Associated Press news agency.
In Haiti, the approximately 400,000 people still living in makeshift camps without proper shelter following 2010's devastating earthquake are at the mercy of the elements.
"All our children are sleeping in the mud, in the rain."
"Without a stable sanitation system or permanent housing, heavy rain and wind can create much larger problems like disease from water contamination," the Haiti director of World Vision Jean-Claude Mukadi told the AFP news agency.
At one site, more than 50 tents collapsed, forcing people to search the mud for their belongings.
The country's president, Michael Martelly, has toured some of the camp sites.
"It looks like the south coast is going to get hit, but again we're so fragile here in Port-au-Prince that just some rain can cause a lot of damage," Associated Press quoted him as saying afterwards.
Isaac is also expected to bring rain and wind to nearby Puerto Rico.
Several Cuban provinces are now on a state of alert, as are parts of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos islands.
Are you in the path of Tropical Storm Isaac? Are you preparing for the storm? Please tell us your stories using the form below.
