The centre of Tropical Storm Isaac has cleared Haiti but heavy rain is falling in the capital and elsewhere from the outer bands of the system.

At least three people are reported dead.

As many as five-thousand people have been evacuated because of flooding.

Some of them are still living in shanties and tents following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

The worst of the storm has hit far from the capital.

But communications are spotty in the country under normal circumstances and it wasn’t yet possible to get a full picture of the situation in remote communities.

Forecasters say Isaac is now headed for Cuba and will likely move up the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s west coast as a hurricane Monday, just as the Republican National Convention is set to start.

Florida’s governor has declared a state of emergency.